Convergence
by Fliptailser
Summary: Ray L. Teraza, a young Trainer from Hoenn, must stop his world from colliding with another—one in which no humans exist. As both worlds get caught up in the fight for either independence or convergence, Ray must make the hardest decision of his life.
1. Colleagues

**Prologue**

* * *

><p>The phone on the wall chirped.<p>

Professor Juniper briefly turned away from her work to answer it.

"Hello, this is Juniper," she said, wedging the phone on her shoulder. The professor then returned to her research, examining sample after sample and writing down the data on her clipboard.

"Hey, Professor," greeted the voice on the phone.

"Birch, you can always call me by my first name," Juniper said, smiling. "We're all professors here." She put down her clipboard and sat at the table. Flicking a pen around in her hand, she began entering her data on one of the lab's computers. "I was speaking to Elm the other day. His advice about genetics has been really helpful."

"Really? How so?"

"Every Pokémon's genome has some information about the species in the past. I'm doing a few experiments alongside him."

"Are you going to propose the theory of perpetual evolution?" Professor Birch asked over the phone. "Elm has been bragging about it for a while now."

"Depends on whether I finish this sequence by the Science Festival. We were going to reveal it then." Looks like Birch was on top of things.

"Well, I called to let you know: two kids, friends of mine, are going to be visiting you in a week or two. I told them to meet up with you before you head out to SciFest. One of them has a Pokémon that I'm sure will interest you."

"You know them?" Kids visited Juniper all the time.

"They're pretty cool guys. I shouldn't have said _kids_, but they're not really adults, either. One'll probably wearing a blue hat, and the other one is always walking around with his Manectric. They'll introduce themselves." Children's voices were audible through the phone. They were yelling and cheering. Birch must have given some lucky kids their first Pokémon.

"I look forward to it, then," said Professor Juniper as she walked back to the phone's place on the wall. "I'll see you there?"

"Count on it." Birch hung up on the other side.

As she set the phone down, she glanced outside the window. She had never expected herself to have anything to do with Pokémon genetics. But here she was. In the end, everything in science linked together. As she glanced around the lab, she spotted another sample that needed processing. It was on the reverse side of the paper on her clipboard.

"Dangit!" she said to herself, laughing nervously. She hadn't hustled like this for her work since she had been studying under her father. Grabbing a pipette for the umpteenth time, she continued her experiment.

_I sure hope Birch is right about those kids_, Juniper thought as she went through her routine absentmindedly. _I could sure use a distraction. Or an excuse to stop working._ She worked diligently for a couple more minutes, but soon left the lab for a well-deserved break anyway.

_**Professor Juniper is out right now,**_ the sign on the door said. **_Sorry for the inconvenience!_**


	2. Museum

** This is my first work of fanfiction to be published somewhere. Helpful reviews would be indispensable! Feel free to point out any faux pas I might have let slip.  
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**The protagonists are original. And don't worry, the entire story isn't going to be dialogue...  
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**(I don't own Pokémon, of course, if I do disclaim so myself.)**

* * *

><p>The museum was nearly empty. It had just opened for the day. Besides the few drowsy attendants standing around to field any questions a visitor might have, the exhibits were completely deserted. Ray and Gabe had the museum all to themselves.<p>

"Let's go this way," Gabe said, walking and looking at a brochure at the same time. "There's ancient stuff over here."

"_Everything_ in here is ancient," Ray remarked, looking around. Nearly all of the displayed exhibits were protected by glass. This part of the museum was dedicated to paleontology. Gabe was way ahead, examining unidentified fossils and preserved artifacts from long ago. Ray's mind was on other things.

"This one looks like Anorith, doesn't it?" Gabe said after a few minutes.

"Huh?" Ray mumbled. To his surprise, they had walked through most of the museum already. He had completely zoned out, that was for sure.

"It looks like Terrin, doesn't it?" he repeated.

"Oh. Yeah, it does." The shape of the Anorith was preserved well, especially the claws.

"What do you wanna see next?" Gabe asked, leading the way forward. He held the brochure, which contained a floor plan of the museum, like some sort of treasure map.

"Uh, whatever you want," Ray said. He didn't mention how Gabe sounded like an excited little kid. "I've seen pretty much the same stuff already in Kanto."

Gabe turned around, closing the brochure. He sighed. "Let's go then. I know you're bored."

"Only if you want to."

"Well, I was in Kanto, too, you know," Gabe said, alluding to their journey through that region. "This museum does have some different things."

"Pewter's Museum of Science doesn't contain a library, or a Pokémon Gym," came a voice from behind. It was from a thin, bespectacled man wearing a gray suit. "So sorry to eavesdrop on you, but you _are_ the only visitors here, and I couldn't help but stand up for my marvelous Museum. I'm Hawes, the assistant director here." He held out his hand.

"Hi," said Ray, shaking Hawes's extended hand.

"Hello," greeted Gabe. "You said there was a Gym here?"

"Absolutely. Nacrene City's Pokémon Gym is in the rearmost part of the Museum, past the museum and library," Hawes explained, adjusting his glasses with a quick pinch.

"You should challenge it!" Gabe told Ray.

"We need to go to Nuvema Town first, though," Ray reminded. "We can do it on the way back, if we have time. Besides, it's still kinda early in the morning." If he was going to battle, it wasn't going to be until he and his Pokémon were fully awake.

"Oh, alright," Gabe said. He turned to Hawes, who had been politely waiting for them, and apologized.

"Oh, it's quite alright!" he replied, taking a step towards the library. "I'll be looking forward to when you return. Have a great day, you two."

Outside the Museum, Ray unclipped one of his Poké Balls from his belt and let out his Manectric with a flash of light. Gabe did the same with his Growlithe.

"The Museum was pretty cool," Ray said to Spolt, petting the Manectric's fur. It didn't like being in its ball, but the Museum had prohibited Pokémon within its doors. Spolt was happily positioned at Ray's side, as if it had never been called back into its ball in the first place.

"Let's go, then," Gabe prompted. He and Ray passed by warehouse after warehouse, with their Pokémon in tow. Even at this time in the morning, a cheerful accordion tune drifted through the air. Gabe's Growlithe dashed ahead, and then back to Gabe, and then back ahead again, while Spolt was constantly at Ray's side. By the time the sun was up in the sky, Ray and Gabe were on the road to Striaton City.


	3. Juniper

"Oh, there it is!" exclaimed Gabe. He was pointing to a sign that said that Nuvema Town was just ahead.

"We're _way_ ahead of schedule now," Ray said, checking the time on the C-Gear he had gotten in Castelia City. The two had been briefly captured by the magic of the huge metropolis, but quickly realized that there was no time to lose if they wanted to go to Nuvema Town and be back in time for the Science Festival. Ray had bought the C-Gear, while Gabe had acquired a couple of Poké Balls.

They had sped by Striaton City and Accumula Town without much sightseeing. Gabe wanted to see the sights, but Ray had easily convinced him that they could do that on the way back, when they were surer of how much time they had until SciFest. Nonetheless, they had seen many native Unova Pokémon on the way.

The road ahead sloped upwards gently. Nuvema Town was probably on the other side of the hill. _And just in time,_ Ray thought. After walking for nearly two days, he deserved a rest_._ A comfortable one in a building, or a bench, or something, not in a sleeping bag on the ground. He glanced down at Spolt, who looked just about as tired as he was. _We're almost there, _he silently said to his Manectric.

It was about noon when they reached the town. Ray had expected such an outlying place to be at a slow pace like Verdanturf back home, but it was fairly active. Nuvema took advantage of its proximity to the ocean, it seemed. They could have possibly found a ship that went here instead of Castelia, but Nuvema's port looked mostly fishing-based from what Ray could see.

Gabe pulled out the map of Unova, getting straight to business. "The lab is this way," he said, walking down one side of a fork in the road. Ray, Spolt, and Gabe's Growlithe followed.

* * *

><p>The lab was one of the largest buildings in town. Featuring a more modern design than the other buildings in Nuvema, with large windows and sharp angles, it was almost too scientific-looking. Nonetheless, Ray felt drawn to it. If it was anything like Birch's lab, just about everything inside would be incredibly interesting. He withdrew Spolt, and Gabe withdrew his Growlithe; neither of them knew how Juniper ran her lab. Birch always allowed them out, but Ray and Gabe both knew how to be polite. They were also a bit nervous.<p>

Before they could approach and ring the doorbell, the professor opened the door and emerged from within. Ray could tell the woman at the front step was Juniper, since he had seen pictures of her in magazines and on television. She was fiddling with the buttons on her lab coat. After she put some sort of sign on the front door that probably said that she was away, she turned to leave. When she saw Ray and Gabe, her eyes lit up briefly, like she could tell at a glance that they were the kids Birch was talking about.

"Hello!" she called, walking towards them purposefully. Once they were close enough to talk comfortably, she said, "I'm going to guess that you two are Ray and Gabe. Am I right?"

"Um, yeah," Ray said, shaking her hand. "I'm Ray."

"I'm Gabe," Gabe added, copying the gesture.

"I'm Professor Juniper," she said, although it was really just to finish the circle of introductions; it was obvious who she was. "I'm glad Birch sent you my way. I could use somebody to talk to on the way to the Festival."

"Are we going already?" Gabe said, getting excited again.

"I don't see why not," the professor said. "If we leave now, you can have plenty of time to see the other towns on the way. There isn't much to see here in Nuvema, anyway."

"It's very relaxing here," Gabe offered politely.

"I guess it is," Juniper mused. After a moment, she asked, "Are you tired?"

Ray and Gabe looked at each other, trying to wordlessly decide whether they really wanted to rest or not. Eventually, Ray said no.

Then, the two Trainers began the journey back to Castelia City, with Juniper's company this time. On the road between Nuvema and Accumula Town, Gabe's fatigue finally caught up to him, and he called for a rest. The three of them sat down on the grass, by a wide stream that ran along the road for a while. The water was perfectly transparent.

"We walked all the way to Nuvema Town from Castelia in, like, two days," Gabe said, stretching his legs out in front of him.

"Did you skip most of the towns, then?" Juniper said. "You can see them this time around. We have more than enough time until SciFest."

"What is SciFest, exactly?" Ray said, peering into the stream. "We lost the pamphlet."

"It's just an event where we celebrate the discoveries science has made in modern times," Juniper answered. "Most of my colleagues will be there, and lots of exhibits will be up about things like evolution, Poké Balls, regional diversity, ecology, move theory, and biology and genetics."

"It sounds pretty cool."

"It's the first annual. I hope a lot of people turn up."

As they sat there, between the road and the stream, they could see another person walking down the road, towards Nuvema Town. When the guy saw Juniper, his step quickened, and he waved amiably. The professor returned it.

"That's Alex," she said to Ray and Gabe. "He lives in Nuvema. I see him all the time."

Alex had come close enough to talk without yelling. He looked about Gabe's age, which meant he was a couple years younger than Ray. "Are you leaving for the Festival thing already, Professor?" he said. He peered at the two Trainers sitting with her.

"Yep," Juniper said. "Alex, this is Ray, and this is Gabe. They're coming with me."

"Trainers, right?" Alex said, spotting the balls clipped to their belts. Ray nodded.

"Let's battle, then."

The directness of his challenge caught Ray by surprise. Alex had clearly meant it to be for _him_.

"If you really want to," Ray found himself saying.

"I do. Two on two?" Alex backed away, to give some fighting space for the Pokémon. Ray backed away in the opposite direction, uncertainly, while Gabe and Juniper sat down a bit farther away from where there would soon be battling Pokémon.

"Sure," Ray said, fingering Spolt's Poké Ball nervously.

Alex quickly and unceremoniously began the battle by tossing a Poké Ball to the space separating him and Ray. The ball flashed brightly, and let out a barking, growling Herdier.

"Watching battles is extraordinary," Juniper told Gabe. "The connection between the Pokémon and its Trainer is unmistakable."

"Ray is awesome," was all Gabe said.

"Alright, Spolt!" Ray said, letting out his Manectric. It was relaxed for a moment, but it quickly realized that it was in a battle. Within moments, the Manectric and Herdier were staring each other down.

"Wait," Juniper whispered to Gabe. "Something's odd about that Manectric."

"If you mean it's fur is colored a bit different, then yeah," Gabe replied. Numerous people from Hoenn had told them countless times that Spolt was colored oddly. Neither Wattson, who owned a Manectric of his own, nor Professor Birch, who specialized in ecology, could rightly identify what caused it—or what it meant. Spolt's colors were more subdued than the typical Manectric's: instead of bright blue and yellow, Spolt was navy and gold.

"Incredible," gasped Juniper, her eyes glued to the battle. The two Pokémon (and their Trainers) were still sizing each other up.

"Get ready, Spolt! Charge," Ray prompted. Spolt began to muster some electricity from the air, but the lack of recent battles meant that Spolt's fur was packed with charge anyway.

"Get him, Herdier! Take Down!" Alex yelled. The Herdier obediently began to rush towards Spolt.

"Dodge it! And use Spark!"

Spolt just barely slid out of reach of the Herdier in time. Its counterattack was a short succession of electrical bursts. Some of them missed, but enough hit the Herdier to cause some damage.

Within moments, though, the Herdier was charging forward again, without any command from Alex.

"Watch out!" Ray yelled.

But it was too late. The two Pokémon collided, and both ended up rolling on the ground. A yelp from the Herdier indicated that Spolt had discharged some electricity during contact.

Spolt and the Herdier backed away from each other. Spolt's back was to the stream, now.

"You can do it, Spolt!" Gabe cheered.

Beside him, Juniper said, "Does Ray have any League badges?"

"Three from Hoenn," Gabe revealed. "We didn't start seriously _battling_ until we came back from Kanto."

"Keep going!" Alex demanded.

The Herdier repeated its attack, and Spolt didn't even need Ray's guidance to dodge it. The Herdier flew past and tumbled into the stream, sending a couple Basculin splashing away in protest.

Seizing an opportunity, Ray ordered, "Okay! Jump in and Discharge, Spolt!"

"Get outta there, Herdier!"

Before Alex's Pokémon could climb out of the gently-flowing stream, Manectric jumped into the water and let loose the remainder of its stored electricity. Sparks flew every which way, and the Herdier yowled in pain.

"No! Stop!" Alex cried. But Spolt had already finished the attack. Both of the Pokémon climbed out of the water slowly; the Herdier was utterly defeated, while Spolt was completely exhausted.

"You did great, doggie," Alex said quietly to his Herdier, before withdrawing it into its ball. "Go, Ducky!" he said, continuing the skirmish. His Ducklett squawked when it found itself in the midst of a battle. "You can do it," Alex assured it.

"Let me switch out, too," Ray said. "Spolt is tired."

The Manectric retreated to where Gabe and Juniper were observing the battle. Panting heavily, and slightly bruised, it lied down on its side and watched the battle continue. Juniper looked like she was about to explode, and her time was equally divided between watching the battle and staring at Spolt.

Ray trotted over to the stream. It was about six feet across. Perfect.

"Go, Felsin!" he said, throwing a Poké Ball straight into the stream.

"Whoa," said Alex. He moved over to the water, as well.

The new scene of the battle was a bit harder to see from where Gabe and Juniper were sitting, so they got up and crossed the river, using some large rocks as stepping stones. Juniper proved to be unafraid of getting wet. That, or she was too excited about the battle to care much. From the bank opposite Ray and Alex, Gabe and Juniper had a much better view of the action.

Alex peered into the stream, looking for his opponent Pokémon. When he saw it, he cried out incredulously, "An Anorith? How?"

"Oh, my!" Juniper gasped. "I guess… the regeneration program in Hoenn is successful! Birch didn't tell me!"

"Felsin is Ray's newest Pokémon," Gabe told her.

"Now I really want to stop the battle and take a look at it," the professor whispered, blushing. "It's things like this that make me proud to be a scientist."

Gabe wasn't quite sure what she was talking about.

"Ducky!" Alex called, resuming the battle. "Go find it and attack it!"

"Felsin, smack it when it's not looking!" Ray said to the stream.

The Ducklett quacked. It landed in the water comfortably, floating instead of standing up. The stream was deeper than Ray thought. Felsin had the advantage, then.

The Ducklett peered through the water. Everyone watching the battle was looking for the Anorith, too. Even Spolt had picked itself up to watch.

All of a sudden, one of the rocks in the stream budged and slid. Out from its hiding place came Felsin, Ray's Anorith. With a mighty shove, it launched the stone—through the water—at the Ducklett. And it struck dead on. The rock had been nearly the size of Ducky's head, and it had moved in a flash despite the water's resistance.

The sudden attack from below made the Ducklett squawk once again in panic. It flew up from the river and back to Alex's side.

"Come on, Ducky," Alex said gently. "You can do it."

Ducky quacked shakily, clutching Alex's leg. "Well, I guess you win," he said. He slapped his hands to his side in a brief moment of frustration.

"That battle was exciting!" Juniper said immediately. "You both did so well."

"Thanks," Ray said shyly. He went over to the stream, where he found Felsin happily piling up rocks in the stream. "Thanks a ton, Felsin. You were awesome." The Anorith seemed to beam with pride. He withdrew it into its ball.

"Well, I'm running a bit late, now," Alex said, subdued. "I'll see you later, Professor." He quickly jogged off towards Nuvema Town, with Ducky on his shoulder. From a distance he yelled, "That was a good match, too, Ray!"

"I think that was good enough rest," Juniper said. Even though Ray felt like he had not rested at all, the battle had energized him. He was glad to have used Felsin, because he wasn't sure how many opportunities there would be to use an aquatic Pokémon in battle. Spolt had also battled valiantly. Ray offered a bit of painkilling medicine for the few bruises on the Manectric's body, and it gladly accepted.

"Well, let's go, then," Gabe prompted. He picked up his bag, and Juniper shouldered her satchel.

"Alex is very kind, if you get to know him well," Juniper said once they were on the road again.

"He's an aspiring Trainer, right?" Ray asked, kicking a rock in front of him. It bounced and rolled a bit before veering off the road and into the grass. "He's definitely motivated."

"Dangit!" Gabe exclaimed. "I forgot to show Growlithe the battle!" He let his Pokémon out, so that it could at least walk with Spolt. "I totally forgot to let you out in time, Growlithe!" he said to his confused companion. "Ray battled this guy we met named Alex, and it was really cool! Ray used Spolt first, and Alex sent out a Herdier, and the Herdier used Take Down! And Spolt dodged it, and..."

Juniper smiled as Gabe went on about the battle. The Growlithe wasn't paying very much attention to Gabe; it looked like it was interacting with Spolt.

_Better a first-hand account, right, Growlithe?_ the Professor thought, entertaining her imagination that the two Pokémon were talking. Of course, maybe that's what it _was_.

Then, she mentally scolded herself for not asking to take a look at the Anorith. She occupied herself by theorizing about how Spolt's fur was unusually colored. Nothing could keep her away from the scientific method for long.


	4. Triple Battle

"Where do you wanna go first?" Ray said. They had just made it to Striaton City, after passing through Accumula Town and traveling on the road for a few hours.

"Let's go see the Gym!" Gabe urged. Striaton was the location of the Unova League's first Pokémon Gym. The Gyms were ordered more or less by difficulty, and their towns outlined a path that started at Striaton and finished at the League itself.

"Good idea. We can have an early dinner," Juniper said.

"What do you mean?" Gabe asked.

"You'll see," the Professor said, smiling.

In front of the Gym was a sign proclaiming… tonight's special. Ray recalled Spolt to its ball, so he could go inside without any problems. Gabe followed suit and recalled Growlithe.

As Ray, Gabe, and Juniper entered the building, a man in a tuxedo greeted them. He was holding a stack of menus. Behind him were several dining tables, a few filled with patrons.

"This is a _restaurant_?" Gabe asked, astounded.

"A café, sir, and a Gym," the impassive waiter said. "Have you come to challenge the Gym, or to have a meal?"

"Can we do both?" asked Professor Juniper.

"Of course, madam," the waiter said. "Follow me."

He took them to a circular table for four, and distributed three menus. "Our special soup today features potatoes complemented by a spice derived from the Shuca Berry."

"I'll have that," Juniper said as she took a seat. She handed back her menu.

"What're _you_ getting?" Gabe asked Ray. He sat down and took one of the remaining menus.

Ray sat next to Gabe. "This sandwich, here," he said, pointing to a line of text. The fancy menu had no pictures.

"I'll get that, too," Gabe said. "Sounds good."

"Any drinks this afternoon?" asked the man.

"The regular coffee."

"Water."

"Lemonade!"

"That was quick. Another waiter will be with you shortly," the waiter said, retrieving the rest of the menus, taking note of their orders, and walking off.

"Birch was right," Juniper said as they waited for their food. "Spolt and Felsin are of incredible interest to me. You might have to stop by the lab again sometime." She smiled wistfully.

"So Spolt is special?" Ray asked. He didn't know what to think when it came to his Pokémon being out of the ordinary.

"There's hardly any research about it. I'm sure genetics would tell us something, though. There _have _been reports of alternate coloring in other species. I'd have to ask some of my colleagues. And Felsin is a real triumph. We revived another species that was once extinct. If someone gave it to you, then it means that they think Anorith can survive in today's biosphere."

"What do you do in your lab?" Gabe asked. "Genetics?"

"My main work has to do with the origin of Pokémon. Lately, though, I've been helping Professor Elm with his genetics research. It's interesting, because both studies are connected."

"Is that what you're going to talk about at the Festival?"

"Oh, I'll talk about just mostly my field. All of the professors that come are going to give a little speech to anyone interested. Besides a Manectric and Anorith, what other Pokémon do you have, Ray? Just curious."

"A Skarmory and a Houndoom," he said.

"Really?" the professor said. "Elm tells me Skarmory are hard to train."

"Well, everyone gets along great," Ray said. "Don't know how else to put it… I love them all."

"Don't worry, Professor, you might see them in the Gym battle!" Gabe said.

"Good afternoon, everyone," said the waiter. It was a different person than the one who had greeted them at the door. He was carrying a tray with three dishes. First, he put down a bowl of soup in front of Professor Juniper. "A, um, potato soup special for you, madam," he said. Even from where Ray was sitting, the aroma of the soup was sumptuous. The bowl was garnished with small leaves as green as the waiter's neatly-combed hair.

"And two, er, number seven sandwiches," the waiter continued, giving Ray and Gabe their own dishes. "There was a... mix-up... in the kitchen, and we're a few, um, waiters short right now. I'll bring your drinks, uh, right now. May I ask... who is going to, um, challenge the Gym?"

"I am," Ray said.

"Alright." He walked off, adjusting his green bow tie as he went. Flitting about, he glanced over a few tables before leaving the room.

* * *

><p>In the kitchen, the green-haired waiter was surprised to see the huge water spill already cleaned up. None of the coffee was ruined, thankfully. Most of the waiters were already out at the tables again.<p>

"Cilan. Nice of you to help clean up," Cress snapped. He had just finished mopping up.

"Nobody was waiting tables," Cilan protested. "And Charles was busy at the door."

"Ugh... I guess you're right. Well—"

"And we have, um, another Gym challenge."

"Really?"

Cilan loaded a tray with drinks, and Cress followed him out to the tables. On the way there, another waiter met up with them. He had a hand in his fire-red hair, but it shot back down when his tray almost toppled over.

"Lemme guess. Gym battle time?" he said, stabilizing his edible payload.

"Yes, Chili," Cress said impatiently.

"What's wrong, Cress?"

"Neither of you two helped the gigantic spill in the kitchen."

"That's for the cooks—well, _cook_—to sort out, really," Chili pointed out. "Who is the challenger, anyway, Cilan?"

The green waiter looked—but didn't point—at Ray.

"The one with the dark blue jacket?" Chili said, trying not to look directly in Ray's direction. "The one who remembered to remove his hat since he is eating in an establishment that _tries_ to look like fine dining, but is really just a normal café with unusually well-dressed waiters? The one who—"

"Yes... him," confirmed Cilan. "I'll tell you when he's, um, ready."

* * *

><p>The waiter returned with their drinks, although everyone had already finished their meals.<p>

"I'm terribly sorry for the delay," Cilan said, blushing. "The kitchen was a mess. We're a small staff, so we had... to clean up first—"

"It's perfectly fine," Professor Juniper assured him. "You were only gone a few minutes!"

Cilan proceeded to serve Juniper's coffee, Ray's water, and Gabe's lemonade. When he returned to their table after a few minutes, the drinks were finished.

"So, how does the Gym battle work?" Gabe said, trying to bring it up without sounding impatient.

"Oh, um. I guess you're ready?" Cilan said. "Follow me." He signaled to Cress and Chili as he passed them by. Ray, Gabe, and Juniper got all of their things and followed.

* * *

><p>Separated from the dining area by double doors was a large arena made of impact-friendly clay. A narrow set of stairs led up to a catwalk, where spectators could have a better view and hopefully avoid Pokémon attacks. Gabe and Juniper ascended the stairs, while Ray and the waiters went out on the fighting zone.<p>

"You can do it, Ray!" Gabe cheered, prematurely.

"Nice to meet you then, Ray! I'm Chili!"

"My name is Cress."

"Um, and I'm Cilan."

"We're the three Striaton Gym Leaders," Cress said.

"Three?" asked Ray.

"Funny story," Chili said. "We used to look at the Pokémon the challenger had, and then decide who would battle them based on that. But the League says that's unfair."

"So how do we do the battle?"

"How many Pokémon do you have?" Cress asked.

"Four."

"Alright. The new policy is to have a triple battle with us. Pick three Pokémon to use."

"Triple?" Ray was astounded. _Double_ battling was popular in Hoenn, but Unova apparently knew how to take it to the next level. "All six, fighting at once?"

"That's right!" Chili said. "It's much more exciting!"

"And challenging," Cress added.

"Difficult," Cilan mumbled.

The Trainers took their places on either side of the arena. Ray noticed that the three waiters looked alike. The differences were in hairstyle and colors. Cilan was green, Cress was blue, and Chili was red.

The three Leaders sent out their Pokémon first. Cilan, Chili, and Cress sent out three monkey Pokémon. Ray noticed with a bit of amusement each one matched its Trainer in color.

Wondering what he had gotten himself in, Ray unclipped three Poké Balls from his belt. He released his Pokémon one at a time. Spolt was excited to be in another battle, but the Skarmory and Houndoom looked a bit confused.

"Okay, guys, this is three on three, all at once," Ray told his team. "Spolt, go for the blue one. Dax, get the green one. And Terral, keep the red one busy."

"The Skarmory is Terral," Gabe said to Juniper, who was excited yet again. "Dax is the Houndoom."

"So, this is Ray's whole team," the professor said, resting her arms on the handrail. There was a thin row of seats behind her, but she preferred to stand. "Besides Felsin, of course."

"Yep," said Gabe, who went to take a seat.

"Go!" yelled the three Gym Leaders in unison.

Ray treated it like three separate battles. Each of his Pokémon stuck to fighting its own target.

"Spolt, Thunder Wave! Terral, stay in the air!"

While Spolt tried to immobilize Cress's Pokémon with electric charges, Terral kept out of reach by staying airborne.

"When you see an opening, dive down!" Ray called out. He was aware that Terral's target was watching the Skarmory's movements carefully.

It suddenly struck him that he didn't even know the names of the Pokémon he was up against.

"Get the other one!" Cress commanded, pointing at Dax. His Pokémon turned and shot a blast of water at the unsuspecting Houndoom instead of Spolt.

Ray trusted that Dax could handle a bit of water, for now. The Houndoom had been through worse. "Spolt, shock 'em now!" he ordered.

The blue monkey had left itself open, and Spolt's Thunder Wave connected. Then, before it could escape, Spolt sent a bolt of electricity its way. Overpowered, the monkey stalked off in a rush, to the other side of the field.

"Good job!" Ray said. "Follow it! Dax, you okay? Get the green one!"

It was pretty clear that the green monkey was grass-type. The blue one was water, and the red one was fire.

"Flame Wheel!" The Houndoom conjured up a swirling ball of fire that soon took the shape of a ring.

"Oh no! Uh, d-dodge it!" Cilan gasped. His Pokémon tried to evade the wheel of fire, but got brushed on one side.

"Ugh," groaned Cress. "Go save it, Panpour."

His monkey—a Panpour, it was called—soaked Cilan's Pokémon with water. Then, it aimed another torrent of water at Dax.

"Watch out, Dax!" Ray said.

This time, the Houndoom dodged the attack. Without orders, it launched another Flame Wheel at Cilan's Pokémon.

"_Wah! _Pansage!" Cilan cried.

The fire hit it completely this time, causing more damage despite all the water present. Burnt up and defeated, Cilan withdrew it from battle.

"I'm so useless," he said.

"Not at all!" Chili said. "Okay, _now!_"

Chili's Pokémon, who was right behind Spolt, let out a burst of flame. Spolt barked, turning around and retaliating with an electric shock. While the monkey was busy dodging, Terral swooped in and dove right into it.

"This is so confusing," Gabe said. The battle down below was all over the place.

"Yes," replied Juniper. "Not many people battle this way. It's very demanding."

"It doesn't seem fair. Gabe has to handle three, and each Gym Leader only has one."

"I think they're still working out the policy for the Gym. The League probably doesn't want to fire anybody."

A flash of light from the battlefield stopped the conversation. Spolt had discharged electricity again.

Stunned, Cress's Panpour managed to hit Dax with one last water attack before going down.

"Three-on-one," Gabe said, grinning.

"Two-on-one," Juniper corrected. Dax was down for the count.

"This is where it gets _hot!"_ Chili exclaimed. "Pansear, get the Manectric while it's still weak!" With no electrical power whatsoever, Spolt was defenseless.

"Cover him, Terral!"

The Skarmory was already there, though. It had positioned itself between Spolt and the Pansear, spreading its wings and glaring coldly at its opponent.

The Pansear hesitated for a moment, before blasting Terral with fire.

Terral deflected the flames, but shuddered. Ray felt guilty for essentially ordering it to get itself hurt. But it would have done that without his order, anyway. Right?

"Okay! Now... blow it away!" Ray yelled.

Terral shook briefly—it might have been burnt—and began to create a small whirlwind. Before the Pansear could ready another attack, it was swept off its feet by the flow of air.

"Ah! Jeez!" Chili said, holding on to the wall. The defeated Gym Leaders used this opportunity to move up to the observation level, which was safe from the whirlwind.

"Don't tell him I said this," Cress told Gabe, "but his team is really strong. I don't know about him, but his Pokémon are tough."

"Yeah," Cilan mumbled. He leaned against the rail and watched the battle's finale.

The whirlwind died down, but it had bought enough time for Spolt to recover.

"Okay, guys," Ray said, "You can do this. Spolt, use Thunder Wave! Terral, get it once it's pinned down!"

The battle ended quickly after that. Once the Pansear was stopped in its tracks with Thunder Wave, Terral dived into it from the side, accelerated by its wings. Even though it hurt both of them, only the Pansear was knocked out.

"Nuts!" Chili cried. "That was intense! I'm all burned out now. Where are you guys?"

"Up here," Cress said.

Ray withdrew Spolt and Terral after congratulating (hugging) them, then followed Chili off the arena.

* * *

><p>"Well, you did it. You beat us," Cress said. "I'd like you to have this." He handed over a League Badge. It was an array of diamonds, three of which were colored blue, red, and green.<p>

"The Trio Badge," Cilan said.

"Congratulations!" Chili exclaimed, grinning.

"That battle was exciting," Cress told Ray. "A one-on-one battle sometime would be nice." He smiled.

The man in the tuxedo from the café came through the double doors. "Are you done yet? The dinner crowd's coming."

"Oh. Right," Cress said. "Good luck on the rest of your journey, Ray."

"Bye, Trainers," called Chili as he departed. "And Professor."

"Bye." Juniper nodded.

"Um... see you," Cilan said, stumbling out the door.

Ray held the Badge up. "Awesome!" he said. He pulled out a thin case from his bag, and attached the badge to the first slot. It shined from behind the glass cover.

"Ready to get outta here?" Gabe said.

"Yeah."

"Onward, then!" Juniper said, leading the way out.

* * *

><p>After stopping by the Pokémon Center to heal Ray's Pokémon, they immediately hit the road again. Like usual, Spolt and Growlithe were out and walking, too. This time, though, Dax and Terral were out, too. Terral was up in the air somewhere, and Dax was trying to get Growlithe to calm down. They ran back and forth across the road.<p>

"You know," Juniper said, "the Pokédex says that Houndoom is a really _dark_ Pokémon. But yours is really upbeat."

"Yeah, it's a long story," Ray shrugged. "We had him from an egg, so he grew up all nice, I guess."

"Terral looks cheerful, too."

"Well, it was tough at first. He had a hard time trusting people until, like… well, we did something. I found it near Mount Chimney in Hoenn, all beat up."

"Well, I'm glad you saved it." The Professor was smiling. She reached into her satchel and pulled out two thin, black devices. A Poké Ball pattern on one end was orange-colored. They were Pokédexes. She gave one to Ray and another to Gabe.

"These are for _us_?" Gabe said, flipping it open. It beeped and opened a list of Pokémon species, complete with images.

"We're giving some away at the Festival. And you deserve them. Birch felt guilty about not ever giving you any, so there."

"Wow, thanks!" Gabe said.

"Thanks," Ray added. Poor Birch...

"Look what it says about Manectric!" Gabe said. He showed his Pokédex to Ray. "It's like an encyclopedia!"

"We have multiple authors contributing to the database," Juniper said. "There are still a few holes, but it's an ambitious project."

**Manectric is the Discharge Pokémon, **the Pokédex entry read. **It is the evolved form of Electrike. Native to Hoenn, it is well known there for being able to harness, and possibly generate, atmospheric electrostatic phenomena. Its mane is an excellent accumulator of static electricity, which is constantly collected from and discharged back into the atmosphere. Local mythology heavily associates Manectric with lightning, as they are commonly seen during thunderstorms. However, field studies have shown that Manectric are neither exclusively nested near lightning, nor born from it. Electrical storms nevertheless provide the optimal environment for Manectric, and—**

"You can also scan Pokémon and bring up the simplified entry instantly," Juniper said. "I collaborated with Professor Oak on this, and I'm proud of it."

"It's really good," assured Ray. He continued reading the Manectric entry on his own Pokédex. Gabe pocketed his for the moment and played with his Growlithe as everyone made their way west, towards Nacrene City.


	5. Fossils

Noon. The heat stung the back of Ray's neck. Nobody's Pokémon remained outside their balls; even Spolt opted for a break from the day's harsh sun. Not even the green, shady trees surrounding the road between Striaton and Nacrene City could help the heat.

"Let's rest somewhere," Gabe pointed out. Juniper quickly agreed with him.

"There's a cave over there," Ray said, peering through some trees. "Wanna go?"

"Wellspring Cave," Juniper said. "It should be much cooler in there."

A bit off the beaten path, the cave led away from the normal path to Nacrene City. It was definitely worth the shade. Inside, deep-looking pools of water shimmered and faint, unknown sounds echoed. Ray let out Spolt, who clearly enjoyed the cave's cooler air.

"While we're here, we might as well explore a bit," Gabe said.

The three of them ventured farther into the cave, and the temperature pleasantly dropped.

"Many Pokémon should be around here at this time of day," Juniper said. "They're in here for the same reason we are."

They spent a good half hour exploring the cave's structures, but didn't see a single Pokémon. Juniper told them that it was worrying her.

"I think something's wrong," she said, frowning. "The cave seems devoid of Pokémon."

"Where do you think—" Ray began, only to be interrupted by Spolt. It tugged at the bottom of his shirt, looking as uncomfortable as Professor Juniper.

"Maybe we should ask some people," Gabe said.

"Yeah, let's get out of here," Ray said. "Spolt doesn't like it here."

"I think something's up, too," Gabe decided.

Gabe let out Growlithe as they stepped outside. It immediately turned and peered warily into the cave.

"C'mon, let's go, Growlithe," Gabe prodded.

"Professor, what do you think's wrong?" Ray asked, adjusting his hat. "Spolt and Growlithe both don't like it."

"I don't know," Juniper admitted, puzzled. "Let's just move on. I can check it out after the Festival."

* * *

><p>Nacrene City was much more lively this time around. Despite the heat, people were taking lunch breaks and spending the time wandering around outside. Ray made his way to the Museum with Gabe and Juniper in tow. Their only stop in Nacrene would be the Gym.<p>

Nacrene City's museum-library-Gym looked completely different when it was filled with visitors. The small exhibits barely poked out from behind the people observing them.

Ray made his way through the crowd to the Gym, but Hawes's thin figure emerged from the crowd and spotted him.

"Hey, it's you two from earlier this week!" he said. "And Professor Juniper!"

"Nice to see you again, Hawes," Juniper greeted. "Busy day?"

"Oh, definitely. Everyone's in here hiding from the heat outside."

"Ray here is planning to challenge the Gym. Is Lenora available?"

"Oh, of course," Hawes said. "I'll tell her right away. You go ahead and wait on the Gym floor, Ray." He nodded once at Ray and took off.

"Well, let's go," Gabe said.

* * *

><p>The polished Gym floor looked like a harder surface than the one in Striaton. The familiar observation level was present above it; Gabe and Juniper sat up there—like before—and waited for the match to start.<p>

They didn't have to wait long. Lenora, the Gym Leader, appeared on the Gym floor in a few minutes. She shook hands with Ray displaying her firm grip.

"Pleased to meet you, Ray," she said. Her apron billowed behind her instead of in front, seeming wild and dutiful at the same time. "I'm the Gym Leader here—and the museum director!"

"Hello," Ray greeted. It was a bit weird to meet someone for the first time by having a competitive battle.

"Without further ado, right? We'll be fighting with two Pokémon each, standard rules," Lenora said. "Let's begin!" She sent out her first Pokémon.

"It's a... Watchog," Gabe said to Juniper, looking up the Pokémon in his Dex.

Hawes joined them on the seats above the Gym arena, with a proud smile on his face. "I always watch my wife battle. This'll be good!"

* * *

><p>As usual, Ray opened the battle with Spolt. It looked like it was itching to fight a battle style it knew well.<p>

Well, here was its chance.

"Ah, a Manectric!" Lenora said, smiling. Her grin faltered for a moment, but she quickly recovered. "Go get it, Watchog! Put it to sleep!"

Visible waves of hypnosis radiated from the Watchog's glowing eyes.

"Dodge those!" Ray said, giving more of a reminder than an order.

"You can get him!" Lenora urged passionately.

"Get behind and shock it!" Ray said. That one was an order.

Spolt dodged around the Hypnosis attack, moving behind the Watchog. The thin Pokémon focused on its attack and nothing else, and wasn't turning around quickly enough. The electric shock Spolt sent from behind connected, but the Watchog immediately shook it off and resumed its attack. Caught off guard, Spolt finally succumbed to the hypnosis. It blinked twice, lied down shakily, and passed out.

"Did you know that in some battling leagues, sleep is enough to remove a Pokémon from battle?" Lenora said. "I prefer to have the chance to wake them back up."

Ray considered withdrawing Spolt and bringing him out later, but interrupting the opponent's strategy like that was considered a cheap move. It was even an _illegal_ tactic when used in excess.

"Wake up, Spolt!" he yelled.

"He's gonna wake up, so make this one count!" Lenora encouraged. "Super Fang!"

The Watchog bared its fangs, and ruthlessly tore into the inert Spolt.

Ray groaned, shocked at how vicious the Watchog was attacking.

"Super Fang hurts the most when the target isn't very hurt to begin with," Lenora said aloud.

But Spolt had woken up. Within seconds, it began to discharge electricity from its body in self-defense. This apparently hurt the Watchog more than Spolt's previous attack attempt, because it rolled away, dazed.

"Almost there, Spolt!" Ray called. "Thunder Fang!"

Limping slightly from its bite wound, Spolt rushed the immobile Watchog and gave it a bite of its own. With electricity coursing all over the Manectric's body, the attack was more than a bite. The Watchog writhed around desperately in an attempt to get free, but Spolt held fast until the electricity died out. The Watchog was unconscious.

"Goodness," Lenora mumbled. "That was frightening."

"Sorry," Ray said. The violence he had just seen finally processed in his mind, and he was more than a little shocked to know that he was behind it.

"No need to apologize, of course!" Lenora said, her voice regaining its usual cheer. "You were just returning the favor, I guess." She replaced her defeated Watchog with a new Pokémon: a Herdier. It growled menacingly.

* * *

><p>"Oh, another Herdier!" Gabe said. "Ray's got this battle easy now!"<p>

"I'm sure there are plenty of differences between Alex's Herdier and Lenora's," Juniper reminded.

"She loves it very much. She's had it a long time," Hawes confided. "Love's a bigger factor than most people think, I'd imagine."

"I agree," Juniper said. "Ray loves his Pokémon a lot, too."

"Really?" Hawes asked, adjusting his glasses. "What Pokémon does he have."

"He has with him a Manectric, Houndoom, Skarmory, and Anorith."

"An Anorith? He's part of the Paleo repopulation program?"

"Presumably, yes. I haven't asked him about all the details."

"We got Felsin from a scientist in Hoenn," Gabe said. "He was taking care of a lot of other Anorith, and other fossil Pokémon, too."

"Interesting," Hawes mused. "Yes, I know the program."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Ray chose to give Manectric a break. Switching Pokémon as an opponent switched his or hers was perfectly acceptable in just about every ruleset Ray knew. So he withdrew Spolt, and let out Dax. It returned the Herdier's growls with a few quiet snarls.<p>

"A Houndoom!" Lenora exclaimed. "How interesting! I've never seen one in person."

"Oh, I forgot to look up Houndoom in the Pokédex," Gabe said.

"Keep in mind that a Houndoom who's grown up with people is quite different from one in the wild," Juniper said. "A lot of the articles there are studies on wild Pokémon."

"Okay,"said Gabe as he tried to read the Dex and watch the battle at the same time.

"Let's see how it does," Lenora challenged. "Herdier, you know what to do!"

It charged in a way that reminded Ray of his battle with Alex.

"Dodge!" Ray prompted.

Dax dodged to the left as the Herdier approached, but the Herdier slowed just before passing. Before Dax could get away, the Herdier turned and leapt in its direction. Ray expected both Pokémon to be on the floor after the impact, but the Herdier never lost its footing. It continued to tackle Dax, without giving it a chance to recover.

"You can beat it, Dax!" Ray yelled. "You just have to get up!"

Motivated by its Trainer's voice, Dax slid out of the way just before another body slam could land. It backed up as fast as it could, distancing itself from its opponent.

"Your Pokémon listen to you well," Lenora observed. "That's _excellent_."

"Dax, close in on it with Flame Wheel!"

"Oh, I see," Lenora shrugged, a wide grin on her face. "Herdier, jump through those wheels like the hoops they are!"

Her Herdier leaped through the rings of fire as if it had been trained to do so. It was approaching Dax at an alarming speed.

"Try to close the rings!" Ray urged.

Dax snarled for a moment and caught its breath. It resumed the onslaught of flame, but the rings were tighter. The Herdier still cleared the rings, only with a little less ease this time around. It slowed down considerably, carefully maintaining its footing after every leap through a flame ring.

"Even tighter, Dax! I know you can do it!"

The rings became smaller and smaller, until they became dots of fire. But they were increasing in frequency. The balls became a stream of fire, like the ones Ray had seen strong Pokémon use in movies.

"Flamethrower!" Lenora exclaimed. "I assume he just learned that."

"Yeah," Ray trailed off. "Okay... Dax, do that! With more force! Use Flamethrower!"

The Herdier was upon it, but Dax repelled it with a stream of fire just in time. Waving the fire back and forth, Dax could keep the Herdier at bay for a short while. This time, the Herdier was the one backing up.

"Now charge!" Ray commanded. "Catch it and attack!" He meant that he wanted Dax to attack any way it could once it caught the Herdier.

Baring its teeth, Dax sprang forward, running over the newly-scorched Gym floor. The Herdier was faster, though; it remained safely out of reach of any physical attacks.

But Dax looked determined. Its eyes narrowed in a way Ray had never seen before. With a crouch and a leap, it dashed after the Herdier at an incredible speed.

"What the—?" Gabe said. "What's _that_?"

"I think that's a common attack among dark-type Pokémon," Juniper said. "I think it's called Pursuit."

Pursuit or not, the attack caught Lenora's Herdier unprotected. With a great _smack_, the two Pokémon collided. Dax readied another fire attack, but the Herdier wasn't moving anymore. It whined weakly, too exhausted to move.

* * *

><p>"I think... that's it," Lenora said. "What a fascinating battle!"<p>

"Your friend Ray is incredible," Hawes said to Gabe and Juniper. "I'm going to go down and speak with him."

"We'll come, too," Gabe said.

"Ray, I have to congratulate you on your victory," Lenora said, meeting him on the sidelines closest to the door. Dax's eyes were fixed on Ray, and everyone else was a respectful distance away. "As an avid researcher, I take pride in my knowledge of Pokémon. I'm no professor"—she glanced at Juniper—"but I know a lot, if I do say so myself. Trust me when I say your Pokémon will do anything for you. You're an exceptional Trainer. I'm sure you'll go far."

"Thanks," Ray said, looking down at Dax. Praise always made him shy, even though he knew he shouldn't be.

"Also—I forgot to mention this—Did you know that your Manectric is of a slightly different color?"

"Yeah, Professor Juniper noticed it too."

"I've read about that before. It's apparently an extremely rare trait that isn't even passed down genetically. Other than that, nobody knows where it comes from."

"That's interesting," Ray said. He didn't really know whether he meant it or not. It _was _interesting that Spolt was special, but some part of Ray wanted nothing to do with it.

"Anyhow. I'd like you to have this." She reached inside her smallest pocket and retrieved a purple badge. The design was trimmed with gold like several other Unova badges, but the shape was a simple rectangle. It sort of looked like the spine of a book.

"Thank you," Ray said, putting the badge in his case, in its spot next to the Trio Badge.

"That's the Basic Badge," Lenora explained. "An interesting fact of life is that the most basic things can be the most important."

"I'll remember that."

Hawes stepped forward. "Congratulations on your big win, Ray," he said, smiling. "Your friends tell me you are a participant in the Hoenn's fossil program."

"Yeah," Ray said. "Why?"

"Well, you came at the perfect time. We are starting a fossil program of our own. You have the opportunity to be _our_ participant, too."

"Really? It's finally happening?" Juniper asked. "Perfect!"

"So I'm getting another Pokémon?" Ray asked.

"Only if you want to," Lenora said.

"I do! That would be cool."

"Follow me," Hawes said. Everyone, Lenora included, followed.

* * *

><p>"Hawes has been working on this program for a while now," Lenora said. "With a bit of help from other regions' scientists, we've managed to get it going."<p>

They were all inside a small room that was off-limits to the normal patrons of the museum-library. In an incubator in the back were four eggs. They were all about as wide as Ray's head.

"I'll give you the one closest to hatching," Hawes said. "Have you taken care of eggs before?" He picked up the egg and cradled it in his arms. It was a sandy color, with very faint patches of blue and red.

"No," Ray said. "My Anorith was already hatched and all when I met it."

"Keep your egg with you at all times. Be gentle with it, of course. You can carry eggs in your bag if it doesn't tip over easily. I also have egg packs if you want one."

"I can carry it in my backpack with no problem," Ray said. "Let me move some stuff into Gabe's bag."

Once the egg was snugly wedged in the backpack's largest opening—the zipper remained open—, Ray, Gabe, and Juniper prepared to leave. It was time to move on towards the Festival in Nimbasa City.

"What kind of Pokémon is inside, anyway?" Gabe asked.

Hawes checked tiny print on a clipboard by the eggs in the incubator. "That one is—"

"It'll be a surprise for when it hatches," Lenora interrupted. "Goodbye!" She waved them off, smiling innocently.

* * *

><p>Outside, Ray asked Gabe to check again to see that egg would never fall out of his bag, even if he jumped up and down like a madman. Once that was secure, Ray, Gabe, and Juniper went to heal their Pokémon at the local Pokémon Center. Afterward, they ate a late lunch and hit the road.<p>

The air was much cooler now.

"I can't wait for the egg to hatch," Gabe said.

"Me neither," Ray said. He let out Spolt and Dax. Happy to be done fighting, the two Pokémon relaxed and enjoyed the refreshing air. The smell of coffee floated by, along with the familiar tune of an accordion.

"Ah! I think it moved!"

"Don't worry," Juniper said. "Eggs get much more restless when they're about to hatch." She glanced at the egg. "It is _so_ cute."

Spolt and Dax looked up curiously at Ray's bag, trying to get a good look at this mysterious new egg. After a few minutes of sniffing, they accepted its presence and resumed walking by Ray's side.


	6. Flight

"What do you mean, the bridge is closed?" Gabe cried. "I can see cars going on it!"

"Sorry, but the pedestrian walkway is _closed_," the official said. His foot tapped impatiently.

"We have to go across," Juniper said. "We're on a tight schedule."

"A ferry is going to be set up. But you're just going to have to wait, for now."

The Skyarrow Bridge was apparently closed for maintenance. The bridge was the only way to reach the rest of Unova by walking.

"This is gonna take _forever_," Gabe grumbled, sitting down on the grass with his Growlithe. He absentmindedly browsed his Pokédex.

The bridge walkway started only a short distance away, but it was blocked off. The uniformed official stood there impassively.

"What are gonna do now?" Ray said. He sat down next to Gabe and took the egg from his bag, resting it in his lap. Spolt lied down next to him, gazing at the egg. Dax sat nearby, too, but stared intently at the official instead. He was mumbling into a radio.

"Well, then," Juniper said, sitting down as well. "I guess we wait—"

"Hey! Guys!" a familiar voice called. It was Lenora. She emerged from the forest that covered the nearby road.

"What's wrong?" Gabe asked.

"Oh, nothing," the Gym Leader assured. She walked up to them, noticing the official. He was far enough away to be out of earshot. "The bridge is closed?"

"Yeah," Ray said, standing up with the egg in his arms.

"That's odd. This bridge never closes." She looked at the cars driving by for a moment before saying, "Anyway, I forgot to give you my phone number. I want you to call me when the egg hatches." After Ray entered her number into his C-Gear, Lenora examined the egg. "Looks good," she said.

They said goodbye to her again, and Lenora headed back to Nacrene through the forest. After a few moments, they could hear her faintly yell, "_Watch where you're going!_"

* * *

><p>A few minutes later, Ray noticed a tall guy emerge from the woods. Ray wasn't into fashion, but the newcomer's orange scarf and faded red clothes reminded him of a few odd trends from his home region. The guy jogged down the road to the bridge, but was turned away like the others after a quiet exchange of words with the official. Turning around, he approached Ray and his friends, who were sitting on the grass nearby.<p>

"What's up? You guys waiting to use the bridge, too?" he said, walking towards them.

"Yeah," Ray said.

"Nice egg," the guy with the orange scarf said, amused. Up close, Ray noticed how lanky he was. "Do you know what it's gonna hatch into?"

"Nope."

"Nice," the thin guy said. "My name's Stanley, by the way."

Ray introduced himself and got up to shake his hand, but Stanley told him not to bother. "My hands are kind of dirty. I crashed into this lady in that forest over there. Pinwheel Forest."

"I think that was Nacrene City's Gym Leader," Gabe said. "Oh, and I'm Gabe."

"Hey, Gabe. Nice Growlithe."

"Oh—thanks?" Gabe petted Growlithe self-consciously.

Stanley turned to Juniper. She looked amused, too. "What are you doing here, Professor Juniper?"

"We're going to the Science Festival," she said. "In Nimbasa City."

"Oh, sweet," Stanley said. "I have to catch a boat home in a couple days."

"Where do you live?" Gabe said.

"Hoenn."

"Really?" Gabe said, interested.

"We both live in Hoenn," Ray said to Stanley.

"Lavaridge," Gabe added.

"Oh, that's amazing!" Stanley exclaimed. "I live in Mauville. I guess I can see you guys sometime."

"Sure. Just ask Wattson about me," Ray said. "You'll be talking to him all day."

Stanley laughed and sat next to them, but at a respectful distance. "I wonder when the bridge'll be fixed."

"Or when the ferry is ready," Juniper added.

"I wanna just fly over there, but I don't know how far away the other side is," Stan said, staring out over the water. The grassy area before the bridge dropped off suddenly into the sea, which gave the place a great view of the structure spanning the huge distance. Even just a little bit of fog made the landmass on the other side impossible to see.

"You have a flying Pokémon?" Ray said.

"Yeah, a Fearow. I used to live in Johto."

"It would probably be faster if you just flew over," Gabe grumbled.

"But then I'd be leaving you guys here," Stanley said.

They assured him that it was fine for him to leave, but Stanley refused to do so.

"If only I could bring all of you with me," he mused. "But my pal Tretters can only hold, like, two or three people."

Ray saw an unusual opportunity. "I have a Skarmory. Maybe we can do half and half."

"Oh! Maybe!" Stanley said, grinning. "A Skarmory—aren't they all metal-ish? Doesn't it, like, make you sore?"

"I've only flown a few times," Ray said. "It's kinda scary, I guess. But it wasn't uncomfortable."

"Skarmory feathers have really unusual properties," Juniper said. "I'm no expert, but I wouldn't even call them feathers."

"You _are_ an expert," Stanley chuckled.

"Well, not in all things."

"Wanna do it, then, Ray?" Stanley asked.

"What if the birds get tired along the way?" Gabe said.

"Well, we can stop for a rest... on the bridge," Stanley said in a low tone.

"We can't get in trouble," Juniper said, frowning.

"I think my Skarmory can make it," Ray said. "Here, let me see the map."

Gabe handed him the tourist's guide to Unova. Stanley peered at it too, saying, "Yeah, the bridge can't be more than a kilometer or two long."

"Let's do it, then!" Gabe said.

Ray vaguely knew the risks associated with what he was going to do, but Juniper looked more nervous than he did. "I don't know about this, Stan," she said.

* * *

><p>Stanley's Fearow, Tretters, eyed Terral interestedly. The birds inspected each other briefly, before Terral turned to Ray and tried to ignore Tretters. The Fearow was curious, though, and it kept trying to get Terral's attention. Before long, Stanley had to intervene to keep it from bothering too much. He sat on its back, beckoning for someone else to join him.<p>

"We're going two and two, then," Juniper sighed nervously. She turned to Ray. "I'll go with Stanley, so that you can ride with Gabe."

Juniper sat behind Stanley on his Fearow, while Gabe sat behind Ray on Terral. The last time Ray flew was almost a year ago. He still knew how to, though, and he quickly reminded Gabe. He had to position his legs and sit where they wouldn't rub against Terral's feathers. If it was done right, its body didn't feel like metal. Ray and Gabe also stowed their hats, before they got blown away. The egg was carefully secured inside Ray's closed pack, which he was still wearing.

"Ready?" Stanley said. He patted Tretters's neck playfully, and he and Juniper rose into the air.

The sight motivated Terral, who quickly took off to join Tretters in the air. The ground lurched away from Ray with each silvery wing flap. Ray was more than a little scared of falling, but he trusted Terral and knew how resilient it could be in the air.

Gabe yelled in exhilaration. Or maybe it was terror. Ray didn't turn his head to see. The wind was deafening at their altitude.

When Tretters and Terral ended up next to each other, Ray could turn a bit and look at Stanley and Juniper. The professor's hair was a mess, but she apparently knew how to fly.

Stanley howled in excitement. "This is great!" he yelled. Ray figured the yelling was just because the wind was louder than a speeding train with horns blaring. When he looked down again, he found that they were much higher in the air than before. He couldn't see the official anymore, because they were already moving over the ocean. Terral was now following Tretters, wings beating rhythmically.

"Are you okay?" Ray yelled to Gabe. He managed to turn around this time. All he could see was a mess of hair and flapping clothes.

"Yeah!" Gabe cried.

Terral joined in the excitement, letting out a high-pitched cry that pierced even the rushing wind.

* * *

><p>As everyone landed on a clearing near the other end of the Skyarrow Bridge, an official dressed just like the one from before ran up to them.<p>

"What do you think you're doing?" he yelled.

"We were just flying over," Stanley said, getting off Tretters. He turned and helped Juniper dismount as Ray and Gabe got off Terral. Tretters, breathing heavily, motioned at the Poké Balls on Stanley's belt. He obliged, returning the exhausted Fearow to its ball. Ray did the same for Terral, who looked even more tired. He gave it a hug around the neck before withdrawing it to its encapsulated home.

"There's a ferry over there!" the official fumed. "You could have just gone on that."

"I didn't see one," Juniper said.

"Me neither," Stanley agreed, turning to Ray. "How was the flight?"

"It was awesome," Gabe said.

"Terral loved it," Ray added.

The official on this side gave up trying to intimidate them. "Don't make me regret letting you all go," he said sternly, before walking back towards the bridge entrance.

"Look where we are," Stanley said, looking at the skyline in the distance. Castelia City was just ahead.

As they made their way down the road to the huge metropolis, Juniper said, "That man back there sure got angry for no reason."

"Relax," Stanley said. "Probably having an off day." He flipped his scarf back around—it had been tightly wrapped up during the flight—and led the way into the sprawling Castelia City.


	7. Burgh

Ray had been there before, but Castelia City was just as overwhelming to him the second time around. Long, wide streets stretched from one side of the city to the other, accommodating people and vehicles alike. Skyscrapers loomed overhead, no matter what direction Ray looked. It was easy to get lost in the rush.

Ray decided that he didn't like the city as much as he'd thought he would. There were too many people. Even just a handful of people noticing him because of the egg poking out of his bag made him uncomfortable.

"I gotta catch a boat in a few days," Stanley said, leading them down the street. "But I can come with you guys to Nimbasa. If you want." He blushed.

"I don't see why not," Juniper said.

They made their way north through the city—they were just passing through, after all. Since the street they were on closed ahead because of some sort of traffic accident, they turned onto a new street going in the same direction. Each side of the street was lined with immense buildings, from apartment complexes to huge entertainment centers. Fortunately, the sidewalk wasn't crowded with people; it was the middle of Thursday, and most people were working.

"Is that a Gym?" Gabe said, gazing at a particularly big and bright building ahead. Some panels on the front acted like a giant television screen, flashing ads about Castelia City and the Unova Pokémon League. The front side at street level consisted entirely of panes of glass tinted too dark to see through.

"Yes, it is," Juniper confirmed.

"Wanna check it out?" asked Stanley.

"Ray's gonna get all the badges! We're gonna hit all the Gyms."

"Sounds like a plan," Stanley said.

* * *

><p>The interior was as colorful and modern as the outside. People stood around and sat on benches and at tables inside the expansive lobby, doing everything from watching television screens to playing board games. The screens were broadcasting a Pokémon battle.<p>

"The Castelia Gym is like the city's community center," Juniper explained. "Those TVs are showing the current Gym match."

"Let's get a closer look," Stanley said.

On the TV, a man that could have been twice Ray's age grinned.

"The battle is almost over, either way," came his gravelly voice through the speakers. The man lobbed a ball and let out a Golem. A group of people watching the battle unfold cheered the challenger on.

The camera turned to his opponent, Castelia's Gym Leader. His bright outfit stood out against the greenery in the background. A smile was on his face—not a vain or smug one, but a thrilled one.

"I would like to switch _my_ Pokémon, then," he said, withdrawing a Pokémon not shown by the camera. He let out a purple, wheel-shaped bug Pokémon. A yellow eye glared at the camera.

"Ah, Burgh's Whirlipede," Juniper said. "I took some samples from that Pokémon. It's really energetic."

"Oh, that's right," Stanley said. "His name's Burgh."

"He's the bug-type Gym Leader," Gabe recalled from memory. "It says here he's an artist, too." He was looking at the map of Unova, which doubled as a basic, general guide to the region.

The cheering people from before cried out in shock, drowning out the other noise in the huge room. Turning to the TV, Ray saw a beat-up Golem get withdrawn into its ball. The camera shifted to Burgh, who was hugging his Whirlipede. A score counter briefly displayed the score, one to three, and then the screen switched to television programming.

A few minutes later, the defeated man from the Gym battle entered the main room from a hallway. The people who had so excitedly watched his battle showered him with hugs and congratulations. Ray averted his eyes to avoid staring. He probably should have been watching the battle to formulate some strategy for his own battle against Burgh.

"You think we can challenge him now?" Gabe asked Juniper.

"He'll probably rest awhile," she replied, "but he always talks to people."

They walked down the hall they had seen the man come from, and found that it was labeled **To Gym Grounds / Garden**.

* * *

><p>Secluded on the inside of the Gym building, the large, open garden was replete with all kinds of plants. Trees obstructed the view in most directions, just like the city did outside. An occasional Pokémon could be seen among the trees and flowers. Footpaths wound their way through, and Ray could just see a clearing in the center of the garden. He spotted Burgh's colorful, striped pants through some bushes, but didn't say anything. Hopefully, they would cross paths.<p>

"Hey, Burgh!" Stanley said, not bothering with that at all.

"Hello? Where are you?" His pants turned from one side to the other as he looked around. He disappeared briefly, and then emerged on a footpath in plain sight. "Oh, there you are!" he said. "Why hello, Professor Juniper. I bet your friends here want to challenge me for the Insect Badge."

"Not me," Stanley said, turning to Ray.

"I would like to," Ray said shyly.

"Well, it doesn't bug me at all, but you've gotta let my Pokémon catch a break from the last battle!" he said. "Here, let's walk for a bit." He turned to a path that, like the rest, disappeared into the garden.

"This building was recently remodeled," Burgh said, kicking off the conversation. "I'm glad they kept the garden the way it is." He led the way down the path with his hands in his pockets. "What brings you here?" he asked, glancing back at Ray and Gabe.

"We're from Hoenn," Gabe said. "We're gonna see the Science Festival thing in Nimbasa City."

"I live in Hoenn, too," Stanley said, "but I used to live in Johto. I came over here to check out the art exhibits and Professor Juniper's lab."

"Pleasure to meet you," Burgh trailed off. The colorfully-dressed Gym Leader turned around suddenly, smiling ruefully. "I can't believe it! I never got your names! I don't know what's wrong with me today. You'll just have to forgive me this one time."

After everyone had introduced themselves, the walk through the garden continued.

"I noticed an egg in your bag, Ray," Burgh went on. "Where'd you get it?"

"Unova just opened their fossil program," Gabe said. "He—"

"I got it because they knew me from the program in Hoenn," Ray interrupted. Gabe always answered things for him. Ray was starting to feel self-conscious about it. "I have an Anorith that came from a fossil."

"Wow, that's cool," Burgh said. "That kind of science is beyond my comprehension, but it sounds incredible nonetheless."

"It gives me a spin, sometimes, too," Juniper said.

"Anyway," Gabe said, "we don't know what's in the egg."

"I'd like it that way," Burgh said, falling into step beside Ray to look at the egg. "It's more fun that way."

* * *

><p>Eventually, the path reached the clearing in the center of the garden. Like Ray had guessed, it was really the Gym's battlefield. A TV camera setup stood on one of the sidelines. Benches ringed the clearing, allowing easy observation of the battle.<p>

"The battle is three-on-three. You ready, Ray?" Burgh said, taking one side of the arena. "I may have just fought one of these battles, but I'm confident in my Pokémon. I know they're ready to go!"

"Yeah, I'm ready," Ray said. Gabe, Juniper, and Stanley all retreated to the same bench to watch the battle.

"Good luck!" Stanley said.

Two men—one behind the camera, and the other manning the boom microphone—signaled with a thumbs-up that the battle was ready to begin, too.

"Let's get straight to it, then!" Burgh said, tossing the first Pokémon into battle. "Go, Dwebble!"

At first, it looked like Burgh had sent out a good-sized rock to do battle. But before Ray could think of anything to say, an orange Pokémon poked its head out of the rock. Ray wondered to himself why he hadn't studied some of the Unova Pokémon. He was diving into battles unprepared.

"Okay, Spolt," he said to the Poké Ball, "you can do it." He tossed the ball in.

Spolt, who hadn't been outside its ball since the flight over the Skyarrow Bridge, was full of energy and became even more energetic when it found itself opening a Gym battle. It immediately crouched down, ready for anything.

"This is going to be great," Burgh declared. "Okay, Dwebble! Let's get 'em quickly with Rock Blast!"

"Keep running!" Ray commanded. "Dodge it first!"

Spolt sprinted down the arena as the Dwebble began launching rocks through the air. The Manectric tried to make a beeline for its opponent, but a low-flying rock hit its legs and bowled it over. The tiny camera crew moved to get a dramatic angle of the action.

"Get up!" Ray urged. Spolt got up and dashed towards Burgh's Dwebble.

* * *

><p>"Wow, that Manectric's real cool," Stanley said. "It's so hyper."<p>

"It's because he hasn't discharged electricity in a while," Gabe said.

"So, Gabe," Juniper said, "I'm curious. Spolt was Ray's first Pokémon, right?"

"Yeah. We were little kids. Ray's dad told him it was an electric Pokémon, and Ray got so excited. He wanted to name it Spark or Jolt, and he couldn't decide, so he just put 'em together."

They watched as Ray gave Spolt another command. Spolt obeyed without hesitation, but it wasn't blind obedience. It was trust. Spolt jumped into the air, dodging more rocks. The Dwebble stopped shooting them, and started flinging sand in self-defense.

"Do you know this scientist guy named Professor Greene? He's the one who gave Ray Felsin."

"I can't say I know him. He's in charge of the fossil program in Hoenn, right?"

"Yeah. He has an Anorith, too, named Terrin. He was taking care of Felsin, too, but then he gave it to Ray."

"Interesting. I'll have to meet him sometime." Juniper wrote a quick note in her C-Gear, then continued watching the Gym battle.

"Woo!" Gabe cheered. Spolt had kicked the Dwebble into the air, nearly dislodging it from its rocky shell.

* * *

><p>"Now use your electricity! Thunderbolt!" Ray cried. The familiar guilty feeling came when Spolt essentially electrocuted its opponent, but was quickly displaced by pride and then focus.<p>

The Dwebble refused to get up, securing Ray his first point in the batle.

"I see," Burgh said, his hand on his chin. "I can already tell that this battle is going to be a real challenge! I will take it as it comes! Leavanny can do it!"

The leafy Pokémon that came out immediately readied itself for battle, raising its sharp-looking arms in anticipation.

"You know what to do!" Burgh said. "Leaf Blade and Razor Leaf all the way!"

Spolt was immediately barraged with flying leaves that had the potential to inflict cuts. Caught unprepared, a good amount made contact before Spolt could get out of the way.

"Okay, same thing! You can do it!" Ray encouraged.

A common tactic Ray used was to dodge the opponent's moves until Spolt was close enough to land a strong attack. The closer it was, the stronger the electric power.

But Leavanny derailed that plan by swiping at Spolt with its blade-like arms whenever it got too close. Spolt backed away, glancing at Ray for the next command.

"Electrocute it!" Ray yelled. He could barely handle seeing Spolt get cut up by this annoying bug.

Spolt and the Leavanny both attacked at once. The Leaf Blade attack made contact with Spolt just as it discharged electricity.

"Wow!" Burgh cried. "I can feel the static in the air!"

When the sparks stopped flying, both Pokémon were down and ready to be removed from battle. Ray withdrew Spolt from afar, almost mentally apologizing to his defeated partner. He always felt sorry, no matter how cheerful Spolt was afterward.

But the Leavanny suddenly got up, ready for more fighting. Burgh clapped his hands together.

"That's the spirit!" he said.

Speechless, Ray sent out Dax. At first, it looked surprised to be in a Gym battle again, but it quickly focused on its opponent. The Leavanny was too exhausted to attack immediately, but it moved away warily.

"Ah, a Houndoom," Burgh said. "Do your best, Leavanny."

It didn't seem to have much will left, though. Dax circled it, flicking its black tail back and forth.

"Flamethrower!"

"Get it!"

Both commands were executed at once. Dax let out a stream of fire, which collided with the charging Leavanny. The flame was the last straw, and the leafy Pokémon was down for good.

"You gave 'em your best," Burgh said quietly to his defeated Pokémon.

"Woohoo!" cheered Gabe.

"You've got him now!" Stanley added.

Dax returned to Ray's side of the field. Ray knelt down and petted him, saying, "Only one more to go. You can do it."

"I refuse to be defeated without a struggle!" Burgh said, raising his voice. "Take him on, Whirlipede!"

"Here we go," Stanley said, watching the Whirlipede as it rolled from side to side.

"Okay, Dax," Ray said. "Ready—"

"Go straight at it!" Burgh cried.

The Whirlipede rushed forward at a startling speed, closing the distance between it and Dax in seconds. Dax dodged it without Ray's input, but the Whirlipede quickly made a wide turn and approached from the other side.

"Behind you!" Ray yelled, a few moments too late.

The collision knocked Dax to the other side of the Gym arena! Bits of sand flew up in a cloud as Dax landed and rolled on the ground. It was getting back up with a huff, but the Whirlipede was already closing in for another hit.

"Stop it with fire!" Ray ordered.

As soon as Dax let out some fire, the Whirlipede veered off and stopped its relentless rolling at a safe distance.

The match became a tricky matter of who would mess up first. Dax had to fend off the Whirlipede with fire, but also had to stop and let the flame recharge. The Whirlipede had to back up and get enough room to build up speed each time it turned away from a blast of fire.

"Dax!" Ray called, coming up with a dangerous idea. "Don't attack until it's real close!"

"Go as fast as you can!" Burgh countered.

Dax held its fire, allowing the Whirlipede to approach at a frightening velocity.

"Now!" Ray yelled.

Dax let out another Flamethrower attack just as the Whirlipede made contact. Instead of getting knocked in the air, Dax was hurled to the side; hitting fire had made the Whirlipede lose speed and balance. Now out of control, it sped by the camera crew and crashed into the low wall surrounding the garden clearing. Burnt and scraped, the Whirlipede settled on the ground and was motionless.

Burgh let out a gasp and ran to his Pokémon. Before reaching it, though, he stopped in his tracks. A hand went up to his mouth in shock.

"Whoa," Stanley said, standing up to see. "What's happening?"

"Oh," was all Juniper could say.

The Whirlipede was glowing white with some sort of energy. Ray had seen it happen a few times throughout his life, but it never failed to captivate him and leave him astounded. The Whirlipede was evolving.

Now nothing but vibrant white light, the Whirlipede's silhouette began to transform. Its size quickly doubled, quadrupled, and beyond in a matter of seconds. When the evolution was finished, it was more than eight feet tall and even longer than that from head to tail. It took a moment to get used to its four legs, then roared with a buglike voice.

"My Whirlipede! You're my Scolipede now!" Burgh cried to himself. He ran back to his place on one end of the battlefield. "You can do this! You can run him over with no problem, now!"

The Scolipede was still hurt from the battle, but it had clearly regained strength. Lumbering back to the arena, it looked down at Dax and narrowed its eyes. Dax trembled.

"It can't dodge as much now!" Ray told Dax.

The Scolipede tried to charge, but wasn't used to running instead of rolling. It plodded forward, and Dax evaded it with relative ease.

"You'll get the hang of it!" Burgh encouraged. "Get it with poison, too!"

"Flamethrower!" reminded Ray.

Dax got behind the sluggish Scolipede, aiming fire upwards at its body. The huge bug Pokémon turned astonishingly quickly, bending down and brushing Dax with the smaller forelegs on its new torso. Dax squirmed out of its clutches, but not before getting poisoned.

"Hurry, Dax! Before the poison gets you!"

Dax ran beneath the Scolipede—it could just barely fit under there—and aimed fire upwards at its belly. The Scolipede roared again and turned to find its assailant, but Dax was hiding from view by staying underneath its belly.

"Scolipede!" Burgh yelled. "Lie down!"

After a moment's confusion, it obeyed his orders. The Scolipede dropped onto its belly, resting the entire length of its body on the ground. Its sheer size was awe-inspiring, and Ray felt just a tiny bit of jealousy. He didn't have any big, _tough _Pokémon. But then he reminded himself that huge Pokémon carry their own burdens of responsibility. Not to mention that his Pokémon _were_ strong.

Then he remembered what was happening. Dax was being crushed by an enormous bug.

"Dax! Are you okay?" Ray called.

No response. After a few tense moments, though, the Scolipede let out yet another roar in pain. It stood up in a rush, stampeding around the battlefield. Dax groaned weakly from beneath the Scolipede. Its horns were stuck onto the Scolipede's belly! The big bug stampeded around, trying to dislodge Dax, but the Houndoom continued to dangle helplessly. Ray could hear Gabe giggling on the sidelines, but Juniper was quick to silence him.

"Keep doing Flamethrower!" Ray ordered.

Burgh was frozen in place, not knowing what to do. His Pokémon wasn't used to its new form, and had two horns stuck in its side. Flames also harassed the poor thing.

"Roll over!" Burgh yelled in desperation.

The Scolipede toppled over, flinging Dax back towards Ray. Both Pokémon were back on their feet in seconds.

But the Scolipede was wobbling back and forth. Rolling over and getting up in a flash must have made it dizzy. With a thud that shook the ground, the Scolipede fell over and was down for good.

Burgh ran onto the arena, kneeling down and looking his Pokémon in the eye.

"Don't worry," he said. "This is new for both of us."

The Scolipede blinked its dark, yellow eyes a few times. Burgh returned it to its ball, and walked over to Ray.

"I bugged out," he said sheepishly. "I know how to fight with a Whirlipede, not a giant Scolipede. But that's no excuse. You deserved that victory." He held out a hand.

"Thanks," Ray said. He felt something slip into his hand during the handshake. It was a bright, green Unova badge.

"This is the Insect Badge," Burgh murmured. "You're only the second person this week to earn it."

"That was an amazing battle," Stanley said, walking up to them with Gabe and Juniper. "I was afraid something was gonna fly at _us_!"

"They insist that this arena holds up to League specs," Burgh said, glancing around. "It wasn't designed to hold an audience, as you can see from the TV cameras." He waved at the camera crew.

"I saved this battle to disc," the cameraman said. "Want a copy?" he asked Ray.

"Sure." Ray said, taking a CD.

"We have to go now, to keep on schedule," Juniper said, helping things along.

"Well, good luck on the rest of your journey," went Burgh. "My parting advice would be... to never forget that your Pokémon are like family. I think you know that, already. I'm off to 'talk' with my Scolipede, actually."

Everyone said goodbye, then Burgh walked off into the garden. Everyone else made their way to the big front entrance to the Gym building.

* * *

><p>A small crowd of people ambushed Ray on the way out.<p>

"Wow, the Scolipede sat on your Houndoom! That was pretty funny!"

"I like the way you think, son."

"You're going all the way, right? To the League?"

They were congratulating Ray on his battle! He wanted to savor the victory, but all the attention just made him want to disappear from sight.

"Let's get outta here," he muttered.

* * *

><p>They had seen Burgh with his Scolipede in the city's big central park, but Juniper reminded them about their tightening timeframe. Ray did manage to give a passing wave, though.<p>

On the road running north from Castelia City, Ray felt that there was enough room to let his Pokémon out. He congratulated Spolt and Dax with fierce hugs, and Gabe kept his Growlithe up to speed on current events. Ray let out Terral, too, who flew overhead and occasionally disappeared and reappeared.

Ray looked from Spolt and Dax in front of him, to Terral up in the sky. He remembered Felsin, who was stuck in its ball due to the lack of water anywhere nearby. He was part of the family, Ray told himself. He would find a rest spot with some water, somewhere, so he could be out with everyone else.

For the time being, though, no water was to be found, so Ray and everyone else kept on the move. They were finally headed to Nimbasa City.


	8. The Blue Light

The desert between Castelia and Nimbasa City spared Ray and his friends from the sandstorms that usually show up there. The hot, dry air still left everyone thirsty and dried up, though. Not a single source of water was to be found, except for the bottles of it inside the travelers' packs. Ray spared his Pokémon from the desert; Gabe's Growlithe insisted on staying out, so it was covered in sand within minutes.

"Be glad there's even a road here," Juniper said. "They just finished it a few weeks ago. Before that, everyone had to go through all the sand."

"Isn't there a subway?" Gabe coughed. He had probably inhaled some sand. "We should have taken _that_."

"It's closed, like the bridge," Juniper said.

"Why is everything closed?" Gabe sighed.

"I know, right?" Stanley agreed.

Ray plodded along silently, listening to them talk. The hype and energy from seeing Unova for the first time was wearing off, mostly because of the harsh desert. Still, the only people around here were people Ray knew. He liked it that way.

But a girl's voice up ahead caught his attention. She sounded like she was battling. Looking up, Ray saw her cheering on what must have been a Unova Pokémon—Ray didn't know what it was. He tried the scanner function of his Pokédex, and the short entry told him that it was a Deerling, and that its appearance changed with the seasons.

The girl up ahead was flinging a Poké Ball at something in the sand. The ball opened and closed in a flash of light, but burst after a few seconds. The girl yelled, told her Deerling to keep it up, and threw a new ball at her target. This time, the ball didn't break, and she caught whatever the wild Pokémon was.

By now, Ray was close enough to talk to her. But he didn't want to.

Gabe did, anyway. "Hey, what did you catch?" he called. Ray sort of envied how he could talk to anybody like that.

The girl turned around, startled. She looked a bit older than Ray. There was sand all over her grayish-blue outfit.

"A Sandile," she said, flustered. "Were you watching the whole time?"

"No," Gabe assured her.

She looked at Juniper, then at Ray. "I have to go," she said, trotting off the road and into the sand.

"Where's she going?" Gabe asked.

"Probably the Desert Resort," Stanley answered.

"The road to_ there_ still isn't finished," Juniper added.

They continued towards Nimbasa City. The girl's shyness reminded Ray of how he was around strangers.

The rest of their trek through the desert was uneventful. Gabe talked to Growlithe about random things, and Ray stared at the ground. He occasionally stopped to adjust the egg in his bag.

They never came across any water. Poor Felsin would have to wait.

* * *

><p>Nimbasa was much more appealing to Ray than Castelia City. Instead of blocking out the sky, the colorful buildings spread out and opened on airy, inviting streets. Suburbs sprawled out on the north side, and the rest was Nimbasa's famous entertainment and business center. As they entered the city, Ray saw no sign of the Festival.<p>

"Where is the festival?" Ray said. His voice was a bit gravelly, because he hadn't spoken in hours.

"It's at the fairgrounds," Juniper said. "I'll lead the way."

She took them through the streets at a brisk pace. They passed through an arch and entered an absurdly colorful, grassy place with several amusement attractions. Ray spotted a couple huge inflatable Pokémon, a Ferris wheel, rows and rows of big tents, and a few stages surrounding it all. Only a few people were milling around the fairgrounds.

"We're a few hours early!" Juniper said, pleased with herself. "I know just what you can do in the meantime!" She turned around and showed them what must have been the brightest building around. It was the size of a warehouse, and the front was decked in flashing neon lights and TV screens. The thing was pretty much where the city ended and the fairgrounds began.

"Oh hey, it's a Gym!" Gabe said.

A sign by the entrance said that Pokémon were only allowed in specified areas inside. Gabe withdrew Growlithe, and everyone entered.

* * *

><p>The air inside was nice and cold. The huge building was all open space on the inside—it really <em>was<em> a huge warehouse. There were arcades, Pokémon battle rings, and even a roller coaster, all inside. Crazy lights flashed out from everywhere. There wasn't much people now, but Ray could tell that it would become a terrifying sight if more people came.

They made a beeline for the Gym grounds, wherever they were. Ray guessed that they were with the other battling arenas, and he was right. One arena was larger than the rest, and had plenty of seats surrounding it. Sturdy, clear walls—it looked like Plexiglas—protected the lower seats from the battle.

A woman in what Ray guessed was a super-chic outfit was standing in the middle of the field, messing with some sort of mobile device. Her light blue clothes fit in well with the more subdued hues of the arena.

"That's Elesa, the Gym Leader," Gabe pointed out, though Ray had already figured out who she was. "Go talk to her for a battle!"

"Do I really have to?" Ray said, peering out at Elesa. Her back was turned, and she was still tinkering with that mobile thing. "She sort of looks busy."

"Well, she's asking for it, standing in the middle of the battlefield like that."

"Oh, alright." Ray hesitated before opening a door in the protective wall and stepping out onto the field. The shiny, dark blue floor was about as soft as a Rhydon.

Right before Ray reached her, Elesa turned around and gave a tiny, tiny bow.

"Is it a Gym battle you want? I am ready," Elesa said.

"Uh," Ray stammered, bewildered. "Yeah, that's why I came."

"Okay." Elesa walked Ray to one side of the field. "What's your name?"

"Ray."

"Alright then, Ray," Elesa said. "Good luck on your Gym battle."

"Thanks," Ray replied. "You too, I guess."

Elesa smiled. "It'll be great," she said, turning around and briskly making her way to the other end of the field. Two gigantic screens turned on above the battlefield, each showing Elena's face versus Ray's name—both had three Poké Ball icons beneath them. Within moments, people were gathering around the stands to watch the Gym battle.

That made Ray incredibly nervous.

* * *

><p>It had ended all in a rush. The battle had started out okay, with Spolt putting up a fight against Elesa's Emolga, but the annoying little thing had kept dodging attacks. It hadn't helped that both Pokémon were electric-types. From then on, Ray had continued making stupid mistakes—with a crowd of people watching, too.<p>

The battle had ended one to three. Ray lost.

"It's perfectly understandable," Elesa had said. "This Gym can bring up lots of new, unexpected challenges. You're always free to come by again, though I hope you'll take a break first."

Outside the huge Gym place, Gabe tried to cheer him up.

"Let's go heal your Pokémon. Then we'll go check out the Festival," he said. "Besides, you can just challenge her again."

"I guess," Ray mumbled.

"Look," Stanley said. "I know I've just been silent for a while, but I'll tell you now: I've seen a lot of battles. I think I know the differences between good Trainers and bad Trainers. You're one hundred percent good Trainer. I could tell just from that battle with Burgh. I'm positive you're not just a good Trainer, but a great Trainer."

"Thanks for the amazing speech," Ray said, still in a bad mood.

"I was just trying to figure out how I would put it to you," Stanley shrugged.

"Now, Ray," Juniper said, providing her input, "there are many times where failure is much more valuable than success, in the end. I think this will help you."

Ray didn't respond. Juniper didn't push it—she knew her message got through.

They all left for the city's Pokémon Center, and would be back just in time for the Festival.

* * *

><p>They made it back to the Gym. As they walked to the fairgrounds, one of the stages came into view. A gray-haired man in a simple white jacket was standing up on it. He held a microphone up to his lips.<p>

"Hello? Is this thing on?" he questioned. Someone else on the stage whispered to him. "Hello! I'm Professor Oak, a Pokémon researcher. Welcome to the first annual Unova Convention of Science and Technology! It used to be called the Science Festival, but we changed it because we wanted to show how different it's going to be. We have tons of exhibits with all sorts of interesting things to discover! For a list of events, check near the front or at any stage. For example, over here at the western stage, we're giving away six brand new Pokédexes every hour! A bunch of Pokémon Professors are here, too. Feel free to come and chat. Uh, that's all, I guess." He got off the stage and took a seat at a huge folding table with some other people.

"I have to be there, too," Juniper said. "Here, I'll introduce you all."

Sitting at the table was Oak, Birch, and another Professor Ray didn't know.

"Hey, Ray and Gabe," Birch greeted. "How's Unova treating you two?"

"Great!" Gabe answered. "It's been fun."

"Why hello, Juniper!" Oak said. "Glad you could make it."

Juniper took the seat between Birch and the other Professor, who was talking to someone on the side. When he finished, he turned and greeted Juniper.

"Hello, Rowan," Juniper replied, setting her things beneath her seat. People were already approaching the area in front of the stage to talk with the Professors.

"It was nice traveling with you guys," Juniper said. "But I'm sure you're going all over Unova. Good luck!"

Nobody had any questions for the Professors, so Ray, Gabe, and Stanley left to check out the rest of the festivals. Lots of the tents were giving out free things, from plushies to science magazines. When they were finished with the tents, they returned to Juniper and her colleagues, and talked about each Professor's fields of study. By the time they were done with everything, the sun was low in the sky and Ray was exhausted. They bid farewell to Juniper, then looked for a place to sleep for the night.

A loud boom in the distance caused several people to turn towards the city in bewilderment. It gave no sign that anything had happened.

"Someone's probably going crazy with their electric Pokémon," Stanley said. "Anyway, I know a good place we can camp." He peered at a faraway field with nothing but short grass. "It's over there."

"What's that?" Gabe said. He was still facing the other way, towards the city. A weird blue light was reflecting in the distance.

"Is it coming over here?" Stanley wondered. It sort of looked like it was moving.

And it was. The blue light actually went _through_ the buildings, radiating outwards until it was speeding towards the fairgrounds. People ran for cover in panic, but nobody could escape, save for some bird Trainers taking flight. As the wave—that's what the light looked more like, a wave—passed through Ray, he felt lightheaded and dizzy.

"That's weird," Gabe said. "Nothing happened."

Stanley glanced around nervously. "You better hope we didn't all just get cancer."

Ray lost his balance, and clinged to Gabe.

"Hey!" Gabe cried. They both fell to the ground. "Watch the egg! What's wrong, Ray?"

Ray was lying on his side, fortunately. But his disorientation was getting worse. He tried to get up, but almost rolled over. He could faintly feel someone taking off his pack. That's when he rolled over.

The last thing he could remember seeing before he passed out was the starry sky, and a few birds.

He could also hear Stanley yelling, "Help! What the hell is going on?"

After that, Ray was unconscious.


	9. Awakening

Ray woke up covered in a mess of brown leaves. He felt sore and dirty. And thirsty—his throat was so dry that it rattled when he breathed. Dazed, he got up, shook the leaves off, and stumbled his way through the forest.

Then it struck him. Why was he in a forest?

Where was everyone else?

He couldn't be too far from Nimbasa. But the thick forest sprawled out in every direction, with the only living things around being plants. The same rusty-colored leaves littered the ground in every direction; some were crisps from patches of direct sunlight that pierced the treetops, but most of them were just beginning to rot away. They occasionally got poked into by Ray's toe claws—like paper would by a pencil—and he would have to stop and scrape them out.

Ray walked aimlessly through the woods, moving in generally one direction, with his throat killing him the whole time. As he wandered forward, all alone, he went over what had happened last night.

He had lost a Gym battle. He had gone to the Festival thing. And he had passed out from some blue wave thing that didn't do anything to anybody else.

And now he had no clue where he was.

* * *

><p>Eventually, Ray came across a stream winding through the woods. Overcome by thirst, he trotted over in a rush and plunged his head into the smooth current, gulping down water. It both sated Ray's thirst and alleviated the pain in his dried-out throat. He drank too fast, though, and he was soon in a coughing fit from inhaling water. Still feeling grimy, Ray waded into the stream and started trying to bathe. He was mostly just rinsing himself with water, but afterwards he felt refreshed and a lot cleaner. As he stood by the edge of the stream, shaking the water off his scales, a weird thought crossed his mind.<p>

Why did he have scales?

And why was he used to them?

Ray was a human, but now he had these scales and claws and spikes. The lack of disorientation in this new body puzzled him.

Apparently, he was a Pokémon. The thought barely registered in his mind. It didn't make any sense.

He went back to the stream, and used the water as a mirror this time. The flowing surface was just smooth enough for him to see his reflection: a dark blue face with tired yellow eyes stared back at him. The reflection opened its mouth in surprise, revealing pairs of sharp teeth. Ray spent some time just standing there, staring at his own reflection. This was not who he was. But he could run and jump as if he had been this Pokémon his whole life.

Ray tried to think of what Pokémon he _was_, exactly, but he wasn't sure he had ever seen the likes of it before.

Then a thought came that made him let out a hoarse chuckle. This all had to be a dream. That's the only way it would make sense.

Coughing again, Ray dipped his head into the stream and had another drink.

Then, Ray set off again, following the stream downhill. He figured he would alternate between walking and swimming—he had always loved swimming. As the stream became a river, Ray jumped in and found the water deep enough to swim in freely. He noted with amusement that he was still trying to swim like a human—the forward crawl, to no real surprise, didn't work now. He figured out a better way to do it: he wasn't sure, but he thought it was sort of like a streamlined breaststroke. He glided through the water with ease.

* * *

><p>The river was now flowing much faster, and some sharp boulders ahead made Ray leave the water. He walked on the riverbank, wondering when he would wake up. But he also wanted to keep exploring. The forest wasn't getting any thinner.<p>

Ray soon turned to idle thoughts. After a while, though, rustling in the background made him stop. He turned from the river and walked through the trees.

He found the source of the rustling noise after a few minutes. A Pokémon was hiking away through the trees, carrying something in its arms. It was still far away, but Ray could see its grayish-azure body and some red and white protrusions running up the neck.

Ray was now aware that he was kind of hungry. Was he supposed to hunt, now that he was a Pokémon? He began to sneak up on the stranger, just so he could see what it was doing. The attempt was futile, though, because leaves were cracking loudly beneath his own feet. The Pokémon, now about fifteen feet away, turned around. It sort of looked like an Anorith—it had the same red and white things, protruding eyes, and armored body. But unlike an Anorith, it was standing on two legs instead of swimming in water. It was probably the evolved form! Big pieces of wood rested in its arms. It was frozen, staring at Ray uncertainly.

"H-hello?" it stuttered, shaking visibly. The woods were silent.

Ray coughed, then cried, "You can talk!"

"_You_ can talk!" the Pokémon said, relieved. "You're not wild."

"I'm not wild?" Ray said, confused. "I haven't seen my... Trainer."

The Pokémon gave Ray a puzzled look. "What's a trainer? Anyway, if you're not wild, then where do you live? I've never seen you around."

"I don't know."

"You don't know...?"

"Yeah, I just woke up here."

"That's... interesting. So you don't remember where were you yesterday, then?"

Ray paused. He was going to sound like a psycho. "I was a human."

The Pokémon blinked. "You know, you should probably follow me back. It's not good to live in these woods by yourself, even if it's called the Empty Forest. Besides, I don't think you're out to make me your next meal. Right? As long as you aren't a wildie, I'm fine."

So Ray began to follow him through the woods. He even carried a few pieces of wood for him. The Pokémon showed him how to carry them, because they both had claws instead of hands.

"Thanks," the Pokémon said. "I'm Trace, by the way. The only Armaldo in Asunder—the town where I live. It's not really a town, because it's still new, but yeah."

"I'm Ray. I'm from Hoenn," he said, unsure if Hoenn still existed.

"No clue where that is," Trace said. "You know, I think you just have memory loss. Nobody has ever seen any humans. _Ever._ I mean, there are some legends about humans turning into Pokémon, but I don't believe them. It makes more sense if you just smashed your head and forgot everything. And then you made up these memories so that you had _something_ to hold on to."

"You think I could have made up all that?"

"I don't know, but you're handling being a Gabite just fine. If I were a human, and all of a sudden I was an Armaldo, I wouldn't be able to walk around the way I am now. I would be all stumbling everywhere."

"So it was all a fake memory?"

"It's just a guess of mine." Trace paused in thought, then said, "I have an idea. Since you're here, and _not_ a human, I think you should just forget all that stuff. You can have a new name and everything, to start off your new life."

The next hour or so was spent thinking of a good new name for Ray. His stomach growled—and to his relief, Trace didn't hear it.

All of a sudden, Trace said, "I know! How does Slight sound?"

"It sounds _slight_ly off," Ray said, grinning toothily.

Trace laughed. "Yeah, I thought so. You know, you're the only Gabite around. You could just go by the name Gabite."

"No, I want a real name." Ray couldn't think of a name for himself. Trace's idea was good, though. It would help put his old life behind him.

"How about Lare?" Trace suggested.

"I guess," Lare said. He didn't really care that much, because at the moment he was entertaining the idea that it was all still a vivid dream. "How did you come up with that?"

"Randomly. I was thinking of Pare, and Fare, and Tare, and stuff. All of which, coincidentally, are already words. Oh, and so is Lare."

"Wow." Lare thought one last time about the world he had left behind. He decided that, for all intents and purposes, it wasn't real. Until he woke up, at least. "What am I again?" he asked.

"Whadda you mean? A Gabite?"

"Yeah, a Gabite." Whatever that was. "You know what? You can call me Lysander."

"Why Lysander?"

"It's my middle name. I don't think it'll trigger memories or whatever."

"What are middle names?" Trace asked. "Actually, I think we should stop talking about your dream world. So. I'm bringing this wood for Horizon, the only group of explorers at our town. I get paid. A little."

"Paid in what?"

"Food, of course. Sometimes I trade food for stuff, like for people to help me build my house."

"And what's there for them to explore?"

"Oh, just about everything. Our little town is like an island in the sea. And the explorers are like explorers on a boat? Nah, I don't think that works. They're the ones who go out far and wide, despite all the wildies. Yeah, and they come back with treasure sometimes, too."

Treasure. "So there's just a town and explorers?" Lysander asked. Life must be simple.

"Well, people in town _do_ stuff," Trace said. "Er, they _will_, once everybody's settled in. I mean, it's almost done."

"Can I live there?"

"Yeah, of course. I can't just leave you—all memory-lost and confused—with the wildies, now can I?"

"What _are_ wildies?" Lysander asked, stopping to get some leaves off his feet.

Trace kept walking. "They're like us, but they don't talk. They just attack us."

Lysander caught up. "So there are Pokémon that talk, and some that don't talk?" he asked.

"There are a lot more wildies than people, but yeah," Trace confirmed. "Look, it's the edge of the forest." The tall trees were quickly replaced with short, wavy grass. "Asunder's on the other side of these plains."

So Ray—now called Lysander—walked on, mentally exhausted. He was in some crazy world where the people were _Pokémon_. What's worse was that it was all real. Despite this faint anxiety that he had lost something priceless, Lysander was glad that Trace had accepted him. If only everyone could be like that!

Maybe everyone _was_, in this world.

But then Lysander remembered that it _wasn't _a dream. Oh well.

From that point onward, Lysander promised himself to put away his _human_ life for good. He was a Gabite, not a human, and that's what mattered.


	10. Rematch

"You _sure _nothing's wrong?"

"We've got nothing. He was nearly brain-dead for a few minutes, but now he's just snoozing like nothing happened. Actually, I think he's coming to."

Ray felt like he had just taken an awesome nap. He was lying in a white room, and he immediately figured it was a hospital. Gabe and a doctor peered over at him.

"Welcome back, Ray," the doctor said. "You passed out, and nearly went into a coma, but now you're unharmed—just like everyone else and that blue wave, right? We've been trying to figure it out, but it seems like nothing happened."

"So I was a vegetable?" Ray asked, shocked.

"Well, your mind went out and then recovered quickly," the doctor said. "You're perfectly fine now. We can let you go, if you like."

"And you were only out, like, three hours," Gabe assured Ray. "By the way, Stanley had to leave to catch his boat. He said good luck."

"Thanks."

* * *

><p>Ray was soon discharged from and leaving the hospital, after a few questions from news reporters. Ray refused to say anything but what the doctor had told him; the reporters, in turn, told him that he was the only one to have been affected at all by the wave. It was now late at night, with the only light around coming from electronics, neon, and street lights.<p>

"I don't think I can sleep after all that rest," Ray told Gabe as they both stood in the streets of downtown Nimbasa. People all around him talked about the mysterious blue wave.

"Me neither, actually," Gabe said, taking off his bag and pulling out the sandy-colored egg. "Here's your egg."

"Thanks." Ray received the egg back. It shook once in his hands. "Whoa."

"So. Nobody knows what happened last night."

"I know what happened last night," Ray said, walking down the street. "I lost a Gym battle."

* * *

><p>It was late, but the Gym was still open—like pretty much everything else in Nimbasa.<p>

"Welcome back," Elesa said, smiling. "I heard about what happened with the blue shockwave. You alright?"

"Yeah," Ray said. Both their voices were being broadcast on the battlefield's huge TV screens. "Let's battle."

"No problem."

Ray glanced around the battlefield. Nobody was watching (yet), save for Gabe sitting in the front row. Ray lobbed a ball and started his rematch.

"Alright, Dax!" he called. "You can do it." He wasn't using Spolt first, for once. Dax growled, waiting for its opponent. Ray wondered if Dax was just faking it—he was usually gentle. Ray felt sort of sorry for Dax, because everyone thought he was cruel or something. Then again, Ray felt even more sorry for Felsin, who barely got to leave its ball.

"Emolga! We've got this!" Elesa said, sending out the flying rodent. It immediately jumped into the air and glided towards Dax. Ray felt it was like a less cuddly, more annoying, gliding Pikachu.

"Burn it outta the sky!"

Dax started off the match with a lucky shot. Its Flamethrower attack made contact immediately with the Emolga, which squealed and landed on the floor.

"Pounce that thing!" Ray ordered. He found that it sounded more ruthless than he wanted it to.

Dax obeyed, attacking it with a biting move. It shook the Emolga in its mouth like a chew toy, until electrocution made it let go. Dax refused to let the Emolga get away, chasing it with fire. It didn't let up until the Emolga was down for good. Cheers came from the audience—people were coming to watch.

"I'll admit, I'm surprised," Elesa said. "Your Houndoom is putting up much more fight than before. If you don't mind me saying."

If Dax was like Ray at all, then it didn't like losing. Ray chose to let Dax stay on, while Elesa sent out her second Pokémon. This time, Ray had no idea what it was.

What came out looked like other horse Pokémon, but was black with white lightning patterns zigzagging all over its body. It neighed, and Ray could see electricity dancing on its mane.

"Finish him off, Zeb," Elesa prompted.

"Dodge it, then flames!" Ray told Dax.

Dax only barely dodged a vicious bolt of electricity fired straight from the Zebstrika's body. The blast flew past and made a scorch mark on the floor. Dax retaliated by using Flamethrower again, and the Zebstrika backed away to stay at a safe distance.

"Charge it," Elesa commanded.

Her Zebstrika crackled and sparked, and became covered in a thin veil of fire. It then began to charge Dax, who was too startled to get out of the way. While the fire didn't hurt it much, the physical blow almost knocked Dax out. And the Zebstrika seemed to be energized, as it was moving back and forth like it was on fast-forward.

"You can get it _now_!"

"Keep it away with fire!"

The Zebstrika charged, lowering its head menacingly. Dax tried to ward it off with fire, but the Zebstrika simply ran through it and gave Dax a shock that made Ray turn away from the battle. He couldn't bear to see it. When he turned back, he saw that Dax was down.

"One for one, Ray," Elesa said, but not unkindly. She withdrew her Zebstrika, sending out... another Emolga.

Ray fumed, but kept it to himself. "You've got _two_ of them?" he asked, trying to hide his disdain.

"What can I say?" Elesa said, smiling innocently. "I love them. Anyway, I did you a favor by switching first. So don't be all pushy with me."

Ray wasn't sure how he had been pushy, but he bit his tongue and sent out Terral.

"Let's see who can fly better," Ray said, wondering where his bravado was coming from. He didn't add, aloud at least, that Emolga didn't even fly. It only _glided_. "Stay in the air, Terral, and don't let it get away from you!"

Now that he thought about it, Terral was most likely the one who hated losing the most. It pursued the Emolga through the air relentlessly, pecking at its "wings" and trying to swat it to the floor. Terral also absorbed the electric hits as if they were just doorknob shocks, which made Ray worry. It could just suddenly drop with exhaustion.

When Terral had the Emolga pinned to the floor, Ray said, "Now you've got it!"

"I think that's _enough_," Elesa said, withdrawing her Pokémon from beneath Terral. "No need to beat him up pointlessly." When Ray—and Terral, too—gave her a that's-unfair look, she continued: "Look, I'm forfeiting this point for you. Take it easy."

"Sorry," Ray said. Terral didn't look too apologetic. "Anyways, that's two for one."

"Yep." She sent out her Zebstrika again. "You can get this bird, Zeb. Just shoot it outta the air."

Her advice was fulfilled in mere seconds. Terral couldn't get a single hit in before the Zebstrika zapped it repeatedly like the lightning rod it probably was. Ray wondered if it was because of Skarmory's metallic plating.

"Great job," he said, withdrawing the poor bird. So now both Trainers were on their last fighters. And he had saved his usual first for _last_.

"Go, Spolt! He's the only one left!" Ray yelled. He waited to see what Elesa would do, because both Pokémon were electric... and because Ray had no idea what to do. He tried to ignore the crowd, but the constant buzzing it emitted made that impossible.

"Charge it like before!" Elesa ordered.

Her Zebstrika literally got fired up, and began to charge.

"Just dodge!" Ray yelled. He was tired of yelling. His throat was starting to kill him.

Spolt successfully avoided the fiery attack, then turned and faced its opponent. The two electric Pokémon stared at each other. Their Trainers gave the same order at the same time.

"Thunderbolt!"

Ray saw it coming, and brought his arm up to shield his eyes. Both electric attacks—already quite bright—collided, becoming an electrical explosion. The hair on the back of Ray's neck stood up as the pulse dissipated.

But just as it seemed like the attack had done nothing to the battle, the lights shut off. Ray was immediately surrounded by darkness. The crowd hushed.

"Look what you did!" he could hear Gabe call from afar. "Now I can't see the battle!" The place echoed with laughter.

"Shall we continue?" Elesa's voice echoed. "I know you can find him, Zeb."

The first one to attack would be lit up like a firework. "Don't attack until you're sure!" Ray urged the darkness.

But then the lights came back on. The Zebstrika was standing in the middle of the battlefield. Spolt was crouched beneath it!

"Now!" Ray yelled, coughing. He wondered if Spolt had learned that from Dax, or something.

"Watch out!" Elesa cried.

But it was in vain. Spolt discharged electricity, and it all went straight to the Zebstrika. Overloaded, the Zebstrika seemed to explode in a blast of electricity. After the light dissipated, Ray saw the Zebstrika, collapsed on top of Spolt. To Ray's relief, Spolt crawled out from underneath, securing their victory. The audience cheered and applauded, and began to leave the battlefield.

"Well, Ray," Elesa said. "Congrats."

Cheers from not just Gabe made Ray realize that a crowd had gathered and had watched the whole thing. Then, Spolt ran and jumped into Ray's arms, even though he could barely hold Spolt up. What was left of the audience awwed.

When he put Spolt back down, Elesa was standing before him. She gave him a badge that looked like a thunderbolt with an orange crown.

"This is the Bolt Badge," Elesa said. "It has a nice ring to it. You know, it's surprising how many people lose a Gym battle and don't try again. I guess it's because they're embarrassed or shameful. Don't forget about this your whole life! You can always try again, whenever you mess up."

"Thanks," Ray said, taking the badge and placing it in his badge case.

"Oh, and I _love_ your Manectric. It's so _cute_."

Spolt barked in protest, and everyone around laughed.

* * *

><p>West of Nimbasa City, Ray and Gabe set up camp off to the side of the road. Ray's egg was resting in his lap. It was starting to shake quite often.<p>

"I'm glad you're okay," Gabe said, referring to the blue pulse.

"Let's just forget it ever happened," Ray sighed. He drank some water from his supplies—not really to quench thirst, but to help his dry throat. "Let's get at least _some_ sleep before morning comes."


	11. Razor

"Okay," Trace said. "I don't think anyone will have a problem with you, as long as you talk and do other people things like that."

"You mean like carrying wood?" Lysander asked. His arms ached.

"Yeah, like that," Trace told him. "See, you're already fitting in here. Up ahead is the town. I know it looks like... less than a village, but it's just new."

Asunder consisted of a town center, with a flagpole and a few shops; a handful of houses, thinly spread out from the center; and a much larger, fortified-looking building some distance away, up on a hill. The "houses," small and squat, actually looked a lot like closed lean-tos, but bigger. No two were identical, but they were all unpainted and half of them were unfinished.

Nobody was around, except for a Quilava. He came over as soon as he saw Trace and Lysander.

"Hi, Trace," the Quilava said, peering at Lysander. He got up on two legs. "Who's that behind ya?"

Lysander introduced himself, and the Quilava visibly relaxed, going back on all fours. "Tom. Nice to meetcha, I guess. Anyway, Trace, you're missing a town meeting. I have to go find Leslie, so I'll see ya round."

Trace and Lysander left Tom behind and made their way up the hill.

"So he doesn't have to be there?" Lysander asked. "At the meeting thing?"

"Oh, his dad's there, probably," Trace said. "The meetings are usually just to tell something to the whole town at once. They're over at HHQ, the Horizon headquarters."

Trace led him not to the center of town, but up the hill. People were dispersing from the area up there, so the meeting was probably over. Some people gave Lysander odd stares, and others gave him welcoming looks. Either way, he tried to hide as much as he could behind Trace.

Up at the top of the hill, the HHQ building was like a big wooden fort, with large doorways and windows. Standing in front of it was a Nidoking, surly and intimidating.

"Hey, waterbug!" he called. "Is _that_ all the wood you got?"

"Yes, Hal," Trace sighed. He dumped the wood at the Nidoking's feet.

Hal laughed, saying, "Don't sweat your pretty little carapace, waterbug. We have all the wood we need for a while, now." He turned to Lysander, who also put down his load. "And who is this helping you?" he grunted.

"Lysander," Trace said. "I found him in the forest."

"Hi," greeted Lysander.

"Well, if you can't be useful, at least you can find someone who _will_," Hal sneered. "Go get your food. I don't even care how much. And nice to meetcha, Lysander. A Gabite 'round these parts, who would've guessed?" He hefted all of the wood with ease and disappeared down the hill.

"Is that guy like your boss?" Lysander said, following Trace inside the HQ. The doorway was almost twice Lysander's height.

Trace was silent. After a moment, he said, "Here, we'll get some food." They went though a big, empty foyer of sorts, then turned left into a room with fruits and vegetables piled up from floor to ceiling. The stuff didn't look particularly appetizing. A Typhlosion was in the room, carrying out some food that had spoiled.

"Hey, Trace," he said. "Have you seen Tom?"

"Yeah. He's by your house," Trace said, getting a wooden tray—the bottom end of a box, really—and pushing some fruits into it. It was the only way Trace or Lysander could carry small things, besides with the mouth. Lysander filled a tray of his own, but tried to be modest by stopping at one layer of food. Trace didn't stack food either, probably because it made the tray harder to balance.

"Thanks," the Typhlosion said, leaving for a few moments. "Who's the new guy?" he murmured as he returned to get more rotten food to throw out.

"Lysander. I found him in the forest."

"Well, Lysander, welcome to Asunder. I'm Flayer, Tom's dad. You might have seen him scurrying around somewhere. Be sure to get to know everyone else in town, too."

"Nice to meet you," Lysander said, turning back to the mountain of food. He wished Flayer would leave. He knew the Typhlosion was gazing at him.

And he did leave. "I'll see you around," Flayer said, carrying off what was apparently his last handful of gross food.

"Okay, let's go, too," Trace said. They picked up their trays of food and made their way out. "Flayer's one of the guys in leadership of Horizon," he said once they left HHQ. "At the top, you know?" As they carefully went down the slope to town, he said, "You know... I think you should introduce yourself next town meeting. Show them that you're not mean."

"Why would they think _that_?" Lysander asked.

"You're a Gabite. That's just how people think of them. It reminds me of my old friend—he was a Houndoom. Everyone thought he was mean, but he was really nice."

A Houndoom? That sounded familiar. Lysander knew what they looked like, but... where had he seen one? He let the thought go, and focused on balancing his tray of food.

* * *

><p>They made it to Trace's house without meeting anyone else. Against one wall of the rectangular room was a small pile of food, mostly covered up. An empty bucket rested next to it. Sunlight came through two windows on the walls and one up on the roof. There was a raised ledge—made of wood, of course—that looked like something to sit on. That was all the furniture there was. Lysander also noted that the place smelled like Trace—not that it was a bad smell, of course. He just found it odd that he could make that association so easily.<p>

"I don't really need a bed," Trace explained shyly. He probably slept on the wooden floor. Thinking about sleeping made Lysander realize that _he_ hadn't slept yet at all, since waking up in the woods. He put his food in Trace's little pile, leaving the tray with it.

"I'm not that hungry," Trace said. "Are you?"

The question seemed to reawaken Lysander's hunger, which hadn't been bothering him for a while. He wanted to lie so that he wouldn't have to eat Trace's food by himself—that struck Lysander as really awkward. But now lying was impossible, because his stomach was rallying against him. He was _starving._

"Yeah, sorta," Lysander said.

"You eat, then. I'll get some water," Trace said, hooking the bucket's handle behind one claw and leaving the house.

As Lysander began picking through the food pile and eating fruits he thought looked familiar, people barged through the swinging door and tackled him. A Floatzel and a Donphan wrestled him to the floor, even with a mouthful of food. A Scyther stood over him, while the other two kept him pinned to the floor.

"So. You've come to steal food," the Scyther said, kicking Lysander in the head. He had just swallowed, so no food sprayed out. But he let out a pained whine. He had to blink a few times to clear his head.

"At least it went and stole from _Trace_," the Donphan said. "Clueless waterbug."

"I'm not _stealing_ his food!" Lysander yelled. "I helped him get it!"

A brief pause.

"I don't know who taught you to _talk_," the Scyther shouted, "but it's not fooling me!" He delivered another blow to Lysander's head.

"Wait, Raze," the Floatzel interrupted, still on top of Lysander. "You sure it's the same one? He's talking and everything."

"I'll never forget this bastard's face," the Scyther murmured. "He's definitely the one. Go get something to tie him up."

After a tense moment, Lysander felt one of them get off his back. The Floatzel glanced back at Lysander before leaving the house.

"You can talk? Then let's talk," the Scyther said, pacing around. "Why'd you follow us back here?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Lysander cried. "Help!"

"What's going on?" came Trace's voice from outside. He came in carrying the filled bucket of water, with the Floatzel behind him—holding a length of rope.

"This wildie's been eating through your food!" accused the Scyther.

"Razor, this isn't a wildie," Trace murmured, putting the bucket of water down. "Didn't you hear him say words just now? He said help—"

"I don't think you get it!_" _snapped Razor. "Don't you remember our treasure heist from last week? Oh, that's right. You're not on H! Well, it was from _this_ bastard. He chased us! I _know_ it's him!"

"It wasn't me!" Lysander yelled.

"We'll see," Razor said, quieting down. His eyes flicked from Lysander to the bucket of water. "Can Gabites breathe underwater?"

"No, pretty sure they don't," the Donphan said from atop Lysander.

"Good," Razor uttered, sliding the big bucket along the floor. "Good. Ryan, get him tied up. How long can you hold your breath, Gabite? We'll find out real soon just how you—"

"What the hell are you _doing_ to him?" interrupted a familiar voice. Flayer barged into the house, which was getting rather crowded. "Get off him. Now."

"But—"

"You heard me."

Lysander was finally free to stand up. Razor gave him a dirty look, before storming out. The Donphan followed without a word.

"I wasn't going to tie you up, I swear," whispered the Floatzel before leaving, taking the rope with him.

"What was _that_ crap about, Trace?" Flayer said, looking around. The incident had somehow managed to make a mess of Trace's austere living space.

"They thought Lysander was the same Gabite they stole some treasure from," Trace explained, sighing. "But Lysander isn't a wildie."

"Yeah, I thought the difference was obvious," agreed Flayer, who sat down on the wooden sitting ledge. "Look, I'll talk to them. Set them straight, you know? I heard Tom's friend, Leslie, lost her bell thing over by the beach. You should go help her find it. You know—make a name for yourself, Lysander. Help the community, all that."

"Thanks for the help," Lysander said, rubbing his head with one arm. He was still a bit dizzy.

"Razor's a hothead. The other two just don't want to cross him. I'm sure he'll talk with you eventually—civilly, of course. You don't look too beat up, but you can always stop by the infirmary. Trace knows where it is." Flayer turned and left.

"You know, Lysander," Trace said, "I'm hungry now."

* * *

><p>"Am I gonna live here with you?" Lysander said between mouthfuls of food.<p>

"Yeah. If you want," Trace said. "Like I said, I don't have a bed."

"Thanks so much," Lysander said. "If it weren't for you, I'd be lost in the woods somewhere."

"Don't worry about it," Trace mumbled. "You know, when I was out getting water, I found out what the town meeting was about. It was about the treasure Razor thinks he stole from you. So you probably lucked out of a fight in front of everybody, maybe."

"Oh, well," Lysander said. "Like Flayer said: we'll figure it out eventually, right?"

"Yeah," Trace said, gulping down water.

Lysander helped himself to some water, too. "At least my throat isn't hurting anymore."

"Yeah, but you're sure your head isn't messed up?"

"No," Lysander said, even as he was rubbing his head. "I mean, I'll be fine."

"You done eating, then? Let's look for Leslie."

They left the house, and Trace led the way. As they walked around looking for Leslie, Lysander wondered if he missed his old life. He couldn't really tell, because he couldn't remember what it was like. All he knew was that he was a Gabite, and that _this_ was the real world.


	12. Quantum Physics, Multidimensional Space

"You know," Gabe said, reading the map, "we probably should've gone to this musical thing in Nimbasa. Sounds fun."

"I don't think I would have liked it," Ray said, kicking a rock down the road.

"Well, there's also, like, sports things."

"You know I don't like sports that much, either. Unless there's Pokémon."

"Oh well. We're already like halfway to the next town." Gabe reached down and rubbed his Growlithe, laughing. "Growlithe probably wants to watch a battle. But the last few ones have been indoors, right?"

"Why don't _you_ battle, Gabe?" Ray said. "That's probably what Growlithe's dying to do."

"I dunno. Maybe."

"Remember what Elesa said? Don't be afraid of losing—"

"Yeah, I know." Gabe was silent for a moment. Then he said, "So the next Gym guy—he's like a cowboy! And it says here he likes ground-types."

"You know, sometimes types don't matter."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Spolt took out another electric-type with an electric move."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Gabe put away the map and stroked his Growlithe again. "But you know they can help."

Ray could see an angular, red bridge up ahead—the drawbridge leading to Driftveil City. Boats would come and go beneath it like the occasional car on a back-country road. Ray reached down to pet Spolt, who leaned into Ray's legs affectionately. Dax responded by slumping on Ray's other side.

"Oh come on, guys," Ray said. "Gabe, do you—"

"Help! Stop him!" yelled a voice from behind. A policewoman from Nimbasa City was chasing a guy in a leather jacket, who ran by Ray and continued sprinting ahead.

"Hold this," Ray said, handing Gabe his bag before running after the suspicious guy. Spolt and Dax followed, but Growlithe stayed with Gabe.

"I just chased him through half of Nimbasa," the policewoman panted, bent over to catch her breath. She looked up at Gabe. "Can your friend run?"

"I dunno, but I'm pretty sure his Pokémon can," Gabe said, bemused, gazing at the four sprinting figures in the distance. "Where are yours?"

The policewoman blushed. "That man stole them, along with another poor girl's."

* * *

><p>Ray didn't really know why he was chasing this man. He should've left it to the police or something. But only one person had been chasing this guy, and she had looked exhausted. He couldn't just let him get away, if he was the only person left to stop him.<p>

Ray let his mind clear, and soon he was focused on running down the fugitive. They were almost at the drawbridge. Wait—the bridge was rising!

"Hey! Stop!" yelled the man in the bridge's little control room as the shady character leaped over the barrier. "You can't cross now, the bridge's rising!"

Ray jumped the barrier, too, saying, "Lower it!"

"I can't!" was the reply. Ray didn't stop running.

The bridge was getting steeper—and the gap in the middle wider—as the seconds ticked by. The fugitive made it over the gap, but it was way too wide once Ray made it there.

Adrenaline was running the show. Ray told Spolt and Dax to go back, and then let out Terral. Before he knew it, he was riding Terral and still in pursuit of the criminal. Once he was past the bridge, he quickly dismounted and started running again.

"Cut him off!" Ray yelled, almost out of breath. He meant his command to be for any bystanders—there were a few of them watching—but Terral flew ahead, too. Once it was blocking the way, the guy on the run was forced to turn around—but he slipped and fell. When Ray caught up, the guy was already apprehended by Driftveil police.

"Mind tellin' us what's this guy's problem?" an officer said to Ray.

"I don't know. A cop from Nimbasa and my friend are catching up," Ray said. He hoped they were, anyway.

"Well, don't leave town without stopping by the police station," the officer said, turning away with the suspect in tow. "We're gonna need a few statements for this guy."

* * *

><p>In the police station, the policewoman from Nimbasa was giving the story in hushed tones to the other cops. Ray strained to overhear what they were saying, but the TV Gabe was watching drowned it out. It was turned to a news channel that was playing recycled material. A couple other people were sitting at chairs in the station's waiting room, too, but the place didn't look busy at all.<p>

A Driftveil policeman walked up to them, saying, "The guy wants to talk to you." He pointed at Ray.

Ray got up, not sure what to expect. "Okay," he said. He gave Gabe a confused look before being led out of the room.

* * *

><p>"Hello, kid," said the guy Ray had chased into Driftveil. He was sitting on the other side of a wall of bars. "The name's Chuck. Sorry to have made you run so far, for a pointless reason."<p>

"Why did you want to talk to me?" Ray said. He would rather not be in the same room with this guy.

"Just to apologize," Chuck said, smirking. "You know, this _cell_ is so tiny. Look how they treat people based on hunches and guesses—"

"We have witnesses," interrupted a police officer as she entered the room. "Theft is pretty serious, especially when you steal from my fellow police officers. So don't get all indignant." She turned to Ray. "He's wasting your time. Let's go. I'll get someone to take a statement in a few."

She led Ray back to the main room, as another officer led a girl in—it was the girl from the desert! She gave a fleeting look of recognition, before entering Chuck's room.

"So what's up?" Gabe said as Ray took a seat next to him. The waiting room had a ton of empty chairs, lined up in rows and around the walls.

"No idea. That guy's crazy."

As if to prove Ray right, Chuck's voice rang out from the hallway: "It won't matter soon, anyway! Everything will be different! Everything!"

The girl came back with an officer, who said, "He'll probably plead insanity."

The girl sat down with an empty seat between her and Ray. "Hi," she said quietly, keeping her eyes on the TV. "Thanks for stopping that guy."

"No problem. It was nothing," Ray said, turning to the TV.

"Hello?" said Stanley as he came through the door. He murmured a question to a police officer, and frowned at the response he got. He turned to leave, and—wait.

Stanley?

"Stanley?" Gabe blurted out.

"What? Oh crap, it's you guys!" Stanley flew over and took the seat between Ray and the girl from the desert. "Hello," he said to her.

"Hi," she said.

Ray had no idea what Stanley was doing in Driftveil. "What—"

"My ship couldn't get into Hoenn! It's, like, closed down or something! This was the ship's next place to go, so it just took us here—"

"This is getting ridiculous!" Gabe whined. "First the bridge's closed, then the subway thing, right? And now _Hoenn_?"

"It might not be related," Ray said.

"You think something's up over there?" Gabe murmured. "Like remember a few years ago, that thing with the epidemic?"

"No, not that," dismissed Stanley. "No way they would get caught by that kinda thing again."

"I-I heard that it has to do with the blue shockwave thing," the girl added.

They traded ideas for a few minutes. Ray tapped his feet on the floor impatiently—nobody was coming to "take statements." He figured it had to do with the yelling coming from Chuck's holding cell.

* * *

><p>When the recycled section of news material ended, a bulletin came on the TV instead of another hour of old news.<p>

"The blue wave seen around the world—is it what the mysterious Horizon group says it is?" the news anchor asked. "Or is it another hoax like the fake auroras of '09? We're going to play the video Horizon broadcasted yesterday, and then update with startling news from overseas."

"That's probably Hoenn they're talking about!" Stanley said before being hushed.

The screen changed from the anchor at his desk to a sharply-dressed man in front of a concrete wall. It looked like he had been talking before, so the news channel probably started the video in the middle.

"The blue wave is a demonstration of the machine's capabilities," the man said, staring right at the camera. "We are on the verge of a whole new world! A world where everyone has unique abilities and talents to contribute to society. A world without pollution, or any of those such problems we have created for ourselves and are too sluggish to overcome! I talk of a world of all Pokémon. No humans. This world is very real, mind you. It may not be coming in the physical sense we're all familiar with—no, it's all very complicated quantum physics and multidimensional space. Not even _I_ understand it fully!" He paused to give a hearty laugh. Nobody in the room so much as smiled with him. "When the two worlds collide—we call it convergence—we will be moved from this world to the other. The other world has no humans in it, and for reasons we don't yet know, any humans going there are turned into Pokémon."

"What a load of crap!" burst out a police officer. "Whackjobs can just go on the news whenever they want now, huh?"

The man on the TV went on. "I don't wish to talk for much longer. I would like to say that you won't need to prepare, besides emotionally, for convergence. Only our minds will be transferred. Our current date for this event is July the twelfth_._ That's a week or so from the time of this recording. Because nobody will believe us as of right now, Horizon will be having a demonstration in the next day or so, to prove to you this world exists. We can't say where. But I'm sure it'll make the news." He winked and waved at the camera before the screen faded to black.

"Sad that the largest clips on the news nowadays are the bullshittiest," mumbled the police officer from before.

"Watch your mouth," warned someone else.

The TV returned to the news anchor. "As the date draws nearer, speculation grows about what this Horizon group is going to demonstrate, exactly. The authorities are concerned that it may be a criminal act."

"What was the blue thing, then?" Ray asked to no one in particular. "Wasn't that the demonstration?"

"If you ask me, it was an accident," Stanley said. "They're probably covering it up."

"And now for some news just received from overseas," called the anchor. More people were standing around to watch the TV.

"News 'just' received—that's a lie," someone said. More than one person shushed him.

"Hoenn seems to be in a state of emergency, as of sometime last night," the anchor continued. He shuffled some papers around. "We're not getting any reports about what's happening, other than that ships and planes going to Hoenn are being turned back. It's only adding to the mystery behind the 'convergence apocalypse,' as some critics call it. Whether it's related or not, we'll find out in due time. Stay tuned for updates."

"What do you think?" Stanley said as the news segment ended.

"How are they going to demonstrate something like that?" Ray said.

"You think it's gonna happen?" Stanley asked.

"Who knows?" Ray said. "Some pretty crazy things happened to me with that blue wave thing, that's for sure."

"Yeah, I heard. You're not a Pokémon, though."

That much was true. Ray was trying to thing of ways to possibly prove the existence of another world in "multidimensional space," but a sudden headache was getting in the way.

"What's the matter?" Stanley said as Ray rubbed his head.

"Nothing. How would—"

"Excuse me, son. If you would just fill out this form," a gruff officer said, handing Ray a sheet of paper. "Most of it's done for you already. Just describe what happened."

Ray wrote that he saw the guy running from the Nimbasa policewoman, then chased him until he was caught in Driftveil. There was nothing much else to say, except that Chuck seemed unusually apologetic about the whole thing.

"Thanks," said the cop. "Feel free to leave, unless you want to watch more 'news.'"

"I think I've had enough news today," Gabe said, apparently missing the sarcasm. "Let's get outta here."

* * *

><p>"Might as well hit the Gym," Gabe continued, outside the police station.<p>

"Oh. I'm going there, too," said the girl, who had followed them out.

"I guess I'm hanging with you guys, then," Stanley said, flinging his arms around. "What a crazy mess we're in."

"Ray's right. How are they going to demonstrate something like that?" Gabe pondered, as the four of them walked through Driftveil City. "I think they said they have a machine or something?"

Ray wondered, too. They would have to do something big and drastic if anyone was going to believe in their convergence thing. How _did_ they get on the news? Are they a powerful corporation or something? Ray had never heard of Horizon, though the name sounded familiar. The guy on the taped message looked like the rich and fancy type to Ray.

In any case, he was glad to catch the news while it was still new. If he hadn't chased Chuck down, he wouldn't have found Stanley or watched the news.

Wait a minute. The video was old.

"Hold on!" Ray said. "The guy said the demonstration was going to be in like a day."

"And?" Stanley said, shrugging. "We'll just have to wait—"

"And the video was recorded at _least_ yesterday, probably earlier!"

"So you think it's happened already?" Gabe said. "We haven't seen anything happening—"

"Hoenn," interrupted Stanley. "Oh, crap."

"Let's not worry too much, yet," the girl piped in. "Or jump to conclusions."

"Yeah," agreed Stanley. "Let's worry once we're all Magikarp." He laughed, alone. The shy girl blushed, and Stanley looked like he regretted saying anything. "Sorry, I didn't mean to tease you, uh—"

"Kristy—"

"Kristy! Yeah, feel free to smack me if I get too crazy. I won't mind."

They walked onwards, towards the center of Driftveil City. Ray put aside any thoughts about Hoenn and "convergence," but idly wondered what it would be like in a world with only Pokémon. So many things would be different.

"Ray, weren't you about to ask me something?" Gabe said. "Before the whole chase thing happened?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I was gonna ask if you had any cough drops."

"Yeah, I have some—"

"I don't need any now," Ray said, shrugging. And the headache had disappeared, too.

"Oh, by the way," Stanley said, grinning, "can I borrow someone's phone?"


	13. Beachcombing

"You're gonna help me?" the Furret cried. "That would be awesome! Let's go!" She scurried off. Trace and Lysander followed her out of town. On the way out, a couple people saw Lysander and turned away, or avoided looking in his direction. At least, that's what Lysander felt was happening. It was entirely possible that he was just being paranoid. He tried to smile and not look like a wildie, but the act was more awkward than useful—so he just said hi to passersby. To his relief, most of them were amiable enough to return the greeting.

"Hey, newcomer," said one such person—a Mightyena. "Nebbie, this is the Gabite they were talking about. And hi, Trace." Another Mightyena came up beside him.

"Hi, and welcome," she said. "Hi, Trace. Maybe you two can help us with the house sometime. I'm way too busy with the kids to contribute anything."

"Sure," said Lysander. "I'm Lysander. We're on our way—"

"Yeah, don't worry about it," the male one said. "I'm Piers, by the way."

"Are you coming, guys?" Leslie called from up the road.

"Yeah, don't leave Leslie waiting," said Piers, laughing. "See you guys later!"

As they left the two Mightyena behind, Lysander could hear Nebbie say, "Isn't he the one Razor was yelling about?"

He also heard Piers's low response: "I feel I can trust him much more than Razor, baby." It cheered him up the rest of the way to the beach.

* * *

><p>"This is where I realized I lost the bell," Leslie said. The ocean gently surged back and forth behind her. "It's not very loud. I don't think you'd be able to hear it, even though this is, like, the most gentlest beach, ever."<p>

The beach was actually surrounding a small bay, shielded from the ocean by a tiny peninsula curving from one side. The water wasn't that clear, but the waves were barely a foot tall.

"D'you think it's buried in the sand?" Trace said, kicking some of the stuff around with his feet. It was high tide, so not much sand separated the ocean from inland.

"Don't know," Leslie said, sniffing the salty air. "Actually, it can't be _buried._ I only lost it this morning. If we don't find it, then it's probably in the ocean somewhere. It's a little silvery bell, on a collar. Don't worry if you can't find it, you know? It's my fault I lost it. But it means a lot to me. I—"

"It's okay, we've got a long time till sundown for us to look," Trace said. He pointed to where the beach curved around and ended at the base of the peninsula. "You go search over there, Lysander, and I'll look over here."

Lysander made his way over there, and Leslie followed him.

"So," said Leslie as they walked, "Trace told me you don't remember anything."

"Yeah?" Lysander mumbled, uncomfortable. He dragged his feet through the sand.

"Sorry to bring it up," Leslie said, looking down, "but don't think you can't be at home here with us. Tom's dad was like that, too, you know."

"Like—with the memory loss and everything?"

"Yeah, just like you. And now he's one of the leaders of Horizon and he's always helping people out. People go to him for all sorts of things."

"Wow," Lysander said. That was really surprising, that Flayer had been in the same situation he was in.

"Speaking of Horizon, you should join them," suggested Leslie. "They could use tough guys like you."

"I'm a tough guy?"

"You're a Gabite!" Leslie said, laughing. "You know how it is with stereotypes, right?"

"I guess."

"Yeah, it's kinda messed up. It's probably why you got in trouble—"

"You heard about that, too?"

"It's sort of all over town now. Don't worry, everyone's mad at Razor. He's so stupid."

"I think he's just as confused as I am about the whole thing," Lysander said, surprised he was almost forgiving his assailant.

"Yeah, well, it doesn't take much to confuse him," said Leslie. "And for the record, I don't really think you're a tough guy. I can just tell."

"I figured," murmured Lysander as blood rushed to his head. It surprised him to feel an emotional reaction like that. It felt... human.

"Oh, and we're here. Let's start looking!" Leslie said, sniffing again. They were at the place where the beach ended and the rocky peninsula began. Trace waved from across the bay, and the two of them waved back.

"Wait a minute, Leslie," Lysander said. "Was it high tide like this when you were here in the morning?"

"No, it was a lot lower than this," she replied.

"Then the water's probably reached your bell thing. Does it float?"

"Yeah, definitely."

"Then it should be on the top of the sand, maybe? Do you see it?"

They peered at the sand around them, then farther and farther away, until they were scanning the _opposite _shore for something silvery. Trace waved at them several times, confused.

"He would have found the bell if it was over there," Lysander pointed out.

"True. And I don't see it over there, anyway. Do you think it's gone?"

"Maybe it's stuck on a rock. I'll swim by this peninsula thing and look for it."

"Good luck. I'll go talk to Trace." She scurried off.

Lysander waded into the water, exhilarated by the cold water. He had always loved swimming in cold water, no matter how much it bothered G... somebody.

Once the water was deep enough, he dived beneath the surface. He hadn't noticed it before, but he could see clearly underwater, like looking through glass. It thrilled him. He experimented with his swimming technique for a few minutes, before remembering what he set out to do. He swam alongside the rocky peninsula, inspecting the rocks both above and below the ocean's surface. After a few minutes, he came across a Remoraid swimming around near the rocks.

He dived into the water to look at it, and it said, "Don't eat me!" It kept its distance, ready to dart off at any moment.

Lysander tried to say something, but only a mess of bubbles came out. He had to resurface for air.

When he went down again, the Remoraid said, "Hold on, mate. I'm a pro at figuring out what air-breathers are saying. That was... you talking. Also, you're not trying to eat me. So you're not a wildie. That is deduction on the _highest_ level, mate."

"Have you seen a little silvery bell?" bubbled out Lysander.

"Have I seen a bit of silvery shell?" went the Remoraid. "Not really, mate. No shells, but _rocks_ are bloody all over the place. Bother for your feet, innit—"

"No, a bell!"

"Oh, a bell—speak up next time, mate. No, can't say I have. Sorry."

When Lysander returned with more air he said, "Thanks anyway."

"No problem, air-breather," the Remoraid said proudly. "You know, there's this cave thing on the other side of this here rock wall. On high tide the ocean goes up into it, but anytime else it's high and dry. I seen a coupla blokes go there, looking for shiny stuff. I can show you there."

"That would be great," Lysander burbled.

"Follow me," proclaimed the Remoraid, swimming along the rocks. "Oh, and if you could do me a favor and scare away any wildie types that come along, that would be gorgeous."

Lysander resisted the urge to laugh, and followed him around the entire peninsula until an opening appeared in the rock. It was barely visible from underwater.

"You go climb up in there, airie," the Remoraid said. "I don't particularly feel like risking my damn life up there."

"Thanks," said Lysander through the water.

"Now, if you'll excuse me," the Remoraid said, swimming off, "I have a Mantine to go find. Till next time." And he was gone.

Lysander climbed up into the opening, which really _was_ a cave. A shallow pool of water flowed in through the entrance, but the cave floor sloped up in the back of the cave. The Remoraid was right: detritus littered the back of the cave. Anything that floated in during high tide got deposited in the cave when the waters receded. The cave wasn't large, but it was at least tall enough for Lysander to stand up straight. It was about the size of Trace's house.

Lysander sifted through what was mostly junk—seaweed, rocks, and sand—but a faintly shining object caught his eye. It wasn't the bell, but a little ball that was almost as small as Lysander's eye. The ball was divided into two halves by a black stripe in the middle; the bottom half was a light gray color, and the top half was a much darker gray—with a golden stripe curving around in an odd pattern. When Lysander touched it, it rolled around, revealing a tiny button.

It felt like déjà vu. Lysander had never seen such a ball before, but it nonetheless looked awfully familiar. It was like having a thought at the tip of his mind, instead of a word on the tip of his tongue. He dismissed the uncomfortable feeling, giving the ball's button a poke. It immediately grew in size, making an odd warping sound. It was now an orb the size of an orange, with a larger button and the same coloring.

Lysander pushed the button again, wondering if the ball would get even larger. But instead, it opened with a click. A red laser shot out from inside, missing Lysander by inches. A quiet hum filled the cave. The ball rolled over, and the laser moved across the cave until it was pointing into the water.

The laser wasn't evaporating the water or doing anything else dangerous like that, so Lysander tentatively reached for the ball to try and close it. When he tried to push the two halves together, though, the ball rolled, and the laser turned and came in contact with his belly.

The cave exploded in violent bursts of light as the world around Lysander began to warp and disintegrate before his eyes. The blinding light was taking him somewhere, and he fought it with all his strength. In an instant, all of the light disappeared, to be replaced by complete and utter darkness. Lysander fought even harder, because the darkness was terrifying. He thrashed one way and then the other, and he knew it was having an effect. Whatever force was holding him in the pitch-black space seemed to give way a little whenever he fought it.

Lysander suddenly wondered if he was dying. Or if he was dead. He renewed his struggle, yelling at the top of his lungs. Yelling, roaring, screaming—he couldn't tell, because he couldn't hear himself.

He fought the blackness until he was too exhausted to move. Right when he gave up and was about to submit to the darkness, something about the force oppressing him changed. Lysander's body tingled, and then the black void around him was replaced with an oddly appealing scene.

Lysander was standing on some sort of hard tiling. He was glad to be standing on solid ground, but he was equally happy to see a rectangular pool of water in front of him. It was large enough to hold at least a dozen Torterra, and it looked deep enough that Lysander couldn't reach the bottom safely. The pool was surrounding by tiling, and all of that was surrounded by dry, solid clay. The sky was a navy blue color, Lysander's favorite.

Lysander felt the water. It was precisely the cold temperature he liked. He swam around, contented, briefly lost in this perfect little world.

Then he wondered again. Was he dead?

He got out of the pool, dripping wet. The clay surface stretched out in every direction. As he tried to walk away from the pool, he found that some force—probably the same mysterious light-force from before—kept him from straying too far from the pool.

He felt like he was in a zoo. Everything was just the way he liked it. Even the clay felt nice to walk on; he had the urge to lie down and take a nap right then and there. If he was dead, then surely he could enjoy some temporary sleep on top of his permanent one.

But then his idyllic pool-world erupted into light and was replaced by the debris-laden cave—faster than Lysander could say "eye damage." The cave was darker than before, and all the water was gone. Both Trace and Leslie were there, to Lysander's surprise, staring at him in shock. The ball rested on the floor, closed.

"Were you inside that _ball_?" exclaimed Leslie. "What—how did you—is that even possible?"

"Lysander!" Trace cried, lurching forward and hugging him tightly. He was shaking. Lysander didn't know why Trace was acting so worked up. "I thought something got you!" he said, releasing the embrace. "You just disappeared—I freaked out—was my fault—"

"It's okay!" Lysander said. "I wasn't gone that long."

Trace and Leslie both gaped at him. "We've been looking for you for _hours_!" Trace said. "What happened inside that little ball?"

"I'd rather not talk about it."

"We can ask someone if they've ever seen anything like this," Trace said, staring at the ball like it was a bomb. "It _captured_ you, that's what it did."

"I'll hold it," Leslie said. As she stepped forward to pick up the ball, something tinkled beneath her feet. She gasped, crying, "It's my bell! Yay! It was here the whole time!" She immediately slipped it over her head, letting it jingle quietly a few times.

"What do the symbols mean?" Lysander said, looking at the markings on the collar.

"Um," said Leslie, "those are letters."

"Great. I can't read," Lysander whined.

"It's okay," Trace said. "I can probably teach you—"

"Well, I know how to read and write and stuff, but not with the same letters."

Leslie shrugged. "We're speaking the same language, aren't we?" she said. "It should be easy, then."

"I doubt it," Lysander murmured.

"We can worry about that later," Trace said. "Let's get out of this gross cave."

* * *

><p>As they walked back to Trace's house, Leslie thanked Lysander and Trace—again—for helping her find her bell collar, against the odds. Every time she did so, she had to stop walking and remove the ball from her mouth. Fortunately for her, they had figured out how to shrink the ball: holding the button down. After that, she continued to avoid pressing the button as if doing so would trigger an explosive or some other disaster.<p>

"Well," replied Lysander, "thanks for saving me from that ball."

"We'll show it to Flayer or somebody tomorrow," Trace said. The sun was setting... Lysander has missed most of the afternoon.

"Okay," said Leslie as they entered town, "my house is off this way. I'll come by your house tomorrow, Trace, with the ball. Bye!" She took off in a different direction.

* * *

><p>At home, Trace said, "Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"<p>

"I'm positive," Lysander said, lying on his back. He stared out at the little piece of the sky he could see through the roof window.

"I'm glad we found you," Trace mumbled. "I thought—"

"Remember what you told me, about forgetting things when dwelling on them isn't very helpful?"

"Yeah? Oh," Trace said. He sighed. "Good idea."

"Good night, Trace," Lysander yawned.

"Good night..." Trace whispered, obviously still thinking about things.

That night, Lysander dreamt of a tiled pool surrounded by smooth, solid clay.


	14. Clay

"Spolt! It's okay," Ray assured his Manectric, returning it to its ball. "You did alright."

"Good job, Krokorok," Clay said from across the battlefield. "Piece of cake."

The Gym arena was in a gigantic underground chamber reinforced with steel frames. Unlike the other, smooth Gym battlefields, this one was rough and littered with rocks and even boulders. Up above, thick crisscrossing pipes ran from one rock wall to the other.

Ray's battle with Clay had gotten off to a bad start. Despite what Ray had told Gabe the other day about type matchups, Spolt was at a great disadvantage against ground-type opponents. Although it had managed to tire out the Krokorok some, Spolt hadn't inflicted much damage at all. Ray was losing, zero to one.

Ray sent out Terral, who immediately looked up to see if there was space above.

"Okay, Terral," Ray said, "you have the advantage here." Good thing there was plenty of space for it to fly around.

"Well I'll be—a Skarmory!" Clay called out, his voice echoing around the chamber. "Tough birds, those are. Krokorok, wait for it to get close, then strike it with a good bulldoze!"

Ray didn't know if that was a specific move, but it didn't sound good. "Fly!" he commanded, but Terral was already in the air. Up high, it circled around the Krokorok, waiting for the right moment to attack.

"Don't give it an opening!" Clay urged.

The Krokorok kept facing its opponent in the air. If Terral dived now, it would be vulnerable to some attack.

"Swoop around!" Ray ordered. Terral had done the move a few times before, in other battles. It began to dive, but not directly at the Krokorok.

"Don't let it," warned Clay.

Terral closed in, gaining speed. As it approached ground level, it used its speed to swerve behind the Krokorok.

The Krokorok slashed out with its claws, but missed. Before it could turn around, Terral clutched it by the shoulders and lifted it in the air.

Clay frowned. "Quick, get down from there!" he yelled. It was quite a fall, but Terral was flying higher and higher, to the ceiling of the chamber. When the Krokorok thrashed free, it fell all the way down to the floor. A couple people gasped. Ray felt good for Terral and sorry for the Krokorok, which was defeated.

"He's just too tired, if ya ask me," Clay grumbled, switching out the Krokorok for an Excadrill.

The battle went on, with Clay trying several moves, all of which failed to hit Terral up in the air.

"I got it!" Clay said. "Dig into the walls! Around the steel, if ya don't mind."

The Excadrill raised its arms like a diver ready to jump in—the blades on its arms met the one over its head, and it became a living drill as it tunneled through the chamber wall. Between the steel supports, of course.

Now Terral was alone on the battlefield.

"Be careful!" Ray called up to it.

"Excadrill can probably sense the vibrations of yer birdie through the ground," said Clay proudly. "He's flappin' pretty hard, ya know."

The chamber was silent, except for Terral's wingbeats.

Then, the Excadrill suddenly burst through the ceiling, colliding with first a pipe and then Terral. As the two Pokémon plummeted to the ground, water began spraying down from above.

"Oh, fer cryin' out loud!" Clay yelled. "Ya broke a pipe!" he said, pointing out the obvious. Water began hissing down. Then, another gash opened in the pipe, pouring water down.

Terral managed to slow itself with its wings just before crashing to the floor, but the Excadrill had no such luck. It had lost its drill shape in panic, and it hit the floor at full force.

"Git up!" urged Clay as water poured down. He had to step back a few feet to get away from the pipe's spraying water. "Don't worry," he yelled, assuring everyone, "all those pipes up there carry clean water!"

Terral got up, whining just above the hiss of the water. The Excadrill, on the other hand, was unconscious.

"Lucky fella," Clay muttered, withdrawing his Pokémon. "Good job anyway, Excadrill." He swapped it with a Palpitoad, a Pokémon Ray didn't really like at all.

"Surprise surprise, Palpitoad," Clay said, sitting on a large rock. "There's some water here for ya to play with." He was right—water was starting to collect in pools on the floor. When the Palpitoad jumped into one, it was submerged up to its eyes.

"Watch out for water attacks!" Ray told Terral, who was still nursing injuries. It looked in Ray's direction, as if remembering that a battle was still underway, and took flight.

"Finish it off with Bubblebeam!" ordered Clay.

Terral remained airborne, barely managing to dodge the Palpitoad's bubbly attacks. It went on until water covered the entire Gym floor; at that point, everyone retreated to the elevator, which was a metal platform raised up from the floor. Clay used the manual controls to suspend the elevator ten feet above the floor, with the handrails lowered.

Ray and Clay were standing next to each other, staring at the huge pool of water before them.

"Hmph! So much for ground," Clay said, glancing sideways at Ray. "Y'all'd think this was a water Gym!"

"Ugh, all my stuff's getting wet," Gabe complained, even though not much water reached the elevator.

"Um, I have an umbrella," Kristy said, rifling through her things. She opened a bright green umbrella, angling it in the direction of the broken pipe. "Want me to hold your stuff?" she offered.

"Sure, that would be great," Gabe said, relieved. "Thanks a lot!"

Ray asked, "Can you hold mine, too?" He handed her his bag. "Thanks!"

"Aw, the egg's so cute!" cooed Kristy.

"Anyway, shouldn't we get out of here?" Gabe asked, nervous.

"This ol' elevator's waterproof," Clay said. "And I'm finishin' this battle. Hide in the water, Palpitoad!" He turned to Ray. "Yer bird can't stay up there forever."

Clay was right. Terral was too tired to stay in the air. It slowly lowered to the water's surface—there was no floor anymore—and gave Ray a helpless look. Ray simply nodded back.

When Terral landed in the water, submerged up to its neck, the Palpitoad immediately approached from the other side of the pool. It had been shielded from view by a boulder.

"Watch out!" Ray yelled. But it was too late. Instead of shooting a beam of bubbles, the Palpitoad blasted Terral with a torrent of water. The attack slammed Terral to the wall and pinned it there.

"No!" Ray heard himself yell.

"What?" Clay said, scratching his head. "I never seen _that_ move before. Hydro Pump, maybe?"

"Yeah, it is," confirmed Stanley.

"Well, we're two fer two," Clay said, raising the elevator several more feet. "Good job, Palpitoad!" he called out.

Terral was knocked out and floating on the water. Ray returned it to its ball, apologizing to it in his mind.

Now what? It really _was_ like a water Gym now. There was no way Dax would be able to survive here. But then Ray remembered something, and figured out what to do.

"Go, Felsin," Ray murmured, kneeling down and releasing Felsin onto the elevator, right in front of him. "Do what you always do," Ray said, looking into Felsin's bright, round eyes. It turned around and seemed to hesitate a moment before springing off the elevator, falling a foot or two, and splashing into the ever-deepening pool of water. The broken pipe creaked and began dumping water like an endless Hydro Pump from above.

"What's that? An Anorith?" Clay said. The acoustics of the chamber sounded like a bath. "Lenora would love ya _long_ time if ya—"

"Yeah, we saw her."

"Oh, that's right. Ya got her badge, right?"

"Yeah," said Ray. "Be careful, Felsin!" he called, peering into the water. The water was clear, but he could only see Felsin swimming through the water. "Check behind that boulder!"

The Palpitoad had been hiding behind the same boulder as before. It swam out from behind it, using Hydro Pump underwater. The effect was that the entire pool lurched and began to develop a rapid current. It carried Felsin away, dragging it against the walls.

"Ugh, no!" Ray growled in frustration. He was starting to hate this Palpitoad. "Get ready for when it stops!" he yelled out to Felsin. He figured Hydro Pump couldn't be held for long.

As soon as the current was manageable, Felsin darted to a big rock and shoved it at the Palpitoad. The move packed a punch, even through the water.

"That little buggy's sure got some fight in him," Clay chuckled, raising the elevator again. The water looked deep enough to dive into. "Wait, what's wrong with ya, Palpitoad?"

It was floating on the water, knocked out. Felsin swam up to it curiously, giving it a poke. But then the Palpitoad was on it in an instant, driving it into the floor.

"Hey, that's uncalled for!" Clay said. "Ya gonna fight, ya fight fair, ya hear?"

"Felsin!" Ray yelled. He couldn't see because dust was starting to cloud up the water. That is, until a bright light began to illuminate the entire pool.

"Hey, Ray!" Stanley yelled over the creaking of the pipe and the splashing water. "I think Felsin's evolving!"

That, or the Palpitoad was. Ray stood at the edge of the elevator platform, trying to see through the glowing water. But it was still too bright over there to see. Before he knew it, Ray was leaning over the edge, and it was only a matter of time before he slipped off the platform.

He heard a couple people yelling, before the water smothered it all. It was frigid, but Ray didn't mind. He actually sort of liked it.

When he surfaced, he heard Clay yelling at him. "Whaddaya _doin_'? Just wait there till the water level rises! Ya gotta be kiddin' me!"

"Sorry!" Ray said from below. "It's okay, I can swim!" The glow in the water was starting to fade. The Palpitoad flew from the water suddenly, hitting the wall, and then a boulder followed after it. The Palpitoad was finished after that, and it wasn't faking.

A bark from the water made Ray turn from the Palpitoad to Felsin, who wasn't an Anorith anymore. Instead, he was a lot bigger—his head poked out from the water as he paddled over to Ray.

"You did it!" Ray cried, hugging Felsin in the water. He didn't mind being soaked, because Kristy was holding all his stuff. And his C-Gear was waterproof.

Felsin barked again, letting go of Ray so that the two of them could stay afloat.

"Sorry," Ray said. He turned around to Clay, who had a look of utter astonishment on his face. "I win, right?" he called to him.

Clay stared at him. "Ya like swimmin' in that water? Ain't it freezin'?"

"Yeah, kinda," Ray said, knowing he was messing with Clay's head.

Clay rolled his eyes. "Git up on here, son, and take yer badge!"

The water was nearly at the elevator's level again. Ray climbed up onto the platform, then returned Felsin to his ball, telling him again how well he did.

"Ya know what?" Clay said, changing his mind. "Let's do it outside so y'all can dry up."

* * *

><p>Clay handed Ray the Quake Badge, which looked like a seismic fault in the earth. Still dripping, Ray accepted the badge and put it in his case.<p>

"Thanks for letting me use your Pokémon Center healing thing," Ray said, referring to the device in the Gym's ground-level lobby.

"Don't mention it. And by the by, I didn't like that whole water situation," Clay said, sighing. "But I guess it makes up for the cheap shot Palpitoad took on yer critter. Life's all about give and take, remember that."

"So what're you gonna do about all that water?"

Clay shrugged. "Oh, I'm sure they've cut the water supply already. Some people'll be over here soon to help me figure it all out." He turned to Kristy. "I'm sorry, miss, but I can't have another battle so soon. I'm no water Trainer."

"Oh, that's alright," Kristy said. "I'll just hang around town till then. Actually, why don't you let me help you?"

"If it so pleases ya," Clay said. He cracked a smile. "And no need to apologize fer all that, Ray. It was Excadrill's doin', after all. That battle may've been wetter than I'd like, but it was still more excitin' than a Rapidash rodeo."

"Thanks," Ray said sheepishly. "So this is bye, then?" he said to Kristy.

"I guess," she said. "Unless you wanna help—"

"Aw, don't bother them," Clay interrupted. "I'm sure they got places to be seein'."

Everyone said bye to each other, and then Ray took off with Gabe and Stanley. They were headed for Mistralton City next, as soon as they got a bite to eat. Ray also wanted to play around with his Pokémon.

* * *

><p>Ray, Gabe, and Stanley set up camp on the grass, just as the sun disappeared beneath the trees. They were a few miles from Driftveil, camping away from the road.<p>

"It says here that we have to go through Chargestone Cave to get to Mistralton," Gabe said, looking at the map.

"I hear it's like a maze in there," Stanley mused. "With floating rocks and weird stuff like that."

"We'll just sleep here, then, and go in the morning," Ray said, releasing all of his Pokémon at once. Spolt, Dax, and Terral all seemed surprised to see Felsin, who immediately went over to them, exchanging sounds. Ray imagined they were talking to each other.

"That battle was pretty intense," Gabe said, rotating his feet back and forth as he sat next to Ray. "I thought the place was gonna fill up with water."

"Technically, Clay went out of bounds with that Excadrill," Stanley pointed out. He went over to Tretters, to keep it from bothering Terral. "I guess it doesn't matter, if you won."

"Pretty lucky break for me," Ray admitted. "Without the water, I wouldn't have used Trace. And Dax would have been at a big disadvantage—"

"Wait, who?" Gabe interrupted.

"Dax?"

"No, before that."

What was Gabe talking about? Ray had no idea. "Felsin?"

"Uh—"

"I can't believe he evolved! And now he can walk around on land and stuff!" Ray's C-Gear began buzzing. "Who could that be?"

"Oh, it might be from Hoenn!" Gabe gasped.

"Hello?" Ray said, picking up the call.

"Hello. This is Raymond Torre, yes?"

"Yeah, who's calling?" The voice seemed familiar, though.

"This is Pierre Hensef, founder and CEO of Horizon Experimental Technologies. I understand you are the only one to have been affected by the mishap in Nimbasa, correct?"

"Well, yeah," Ray said, scratching his head. It was the guy from the convergence thing on the news?

"Who is it?" Gabe asked.

"I hear you're in Veilstone City. It's only the shortest of walks from there to Mistralton City, the location of our headquarters. I would like to speak with you in person, here."

"I might come over," Ray said. "Can you answer something for me, though? Since you're the boss of Horizon, and you took credit for the stuff that's happening in Hoenn?"

"I will answer many of your questions if you visit me. But I can talk about the Hoenn demonstration now, if you'd like, since it's going to be over very soon."

"What's it about?" Ray asked. "I haven't seen the news since this morning."

"Well, to put it simply," Pierre explained over the phone, "we used a device that put many people within its range into a state of observation, if you will. It looks like a coma to us, but they're experiencing the other world—the one we're going to converge with very soon. When they wake up, we will have thousands of witnesses who will attest to experiencing, in vivid detail, the other world we have been describing—also in vivid detail."

"Uh, okay. But how do you prove the worlds are _converging_?" Ray asked.

"That's where you come in. But I'll tell you more when you're over here. Please come."

"Yeah, okay, as long as you stop making this sound so creepy."

Pierre laughed. "I apologize."

"Well, okay," Ray said. "Bye."

"Remember, Raymond. I am a powerful man. I would be... angered if you weren't to come." The call ended automatically. Ray shivered.

"So who was it?" Gabe asked, petting his Growlithe. Dax and Spolt were lying side by side in the nearby grass, while Terral nested in a pile of blankets by Ray's sleeping bag. Felsin came over and sat next to Ray, watching him.

"It was the guy from the news thing," Ray said, hugging Felsin's side. The Armaldo made an odd satisfied sound, sort of like purring but not catlike in the least. "He's the boss of the Horizon thing."

"So you asked him about the Hoenn thing?" Stanley asked. Tretters, his Fearow, was gazing at Terral.

"Yeah, it's kinda messed up," Ray sighed. "I'll tell you what he said." He shifted around—Felsin had fallen asleep and was leaning on him—and explained away.


	15. Overreactions

Flayer's house was one of the closest ones to HHQ, and was maybe twice as large as Trace's. The design was mostly the same—except for the wood, which was flameproofed. Tom was sitting inside, gazing at a map of what looked like the entire continent.

"Hey, Leslie!" Tom said, getting up and hugging her. "You got your necklace!"

"Yeah, we were _so_ lucky," Leslie replied, letting the ball from yesterday fall from her mouth. It rolled towards Tom, who picked it up curiously.

"What's this, anyway?" he said.

"We found it when we were looking with her," Trace said.

"Don't push the button," Lysander said.

"Why? What's it supposed to do?" Tom asked.

"It, uh, captures people," Leslie whispered.

"How?" Tom whispered back, grinning.

"Nobody knows," Trace said.

"Nobody knows what?" went Flayer from behind.

"Oh, there you are, Dad," Tom said. "Leslie got her necklace back."

"Good," Flayer said. "What's that little ball? Is that what you were talking about?"

"Yeah," Trace confirmed. "We found it at the beach." Tom went over and handed the ball to his father.

"Hmm," Flayer mumbled, turning the ball around. When he pressed the button, the ball grew in size. "Wow. Hmm."

Lysander flinched. "If you push the button, it has this laser thing," he said from behind Trace. "It sucked me in or something."

"Well, I won't point it at anyone," Flayer said. He pushed the button again, like Lysander had in the cave. The humming laser shined brightly just like before, even in the well-lit room.

"Whoa," Tom gaped. "That's _weird_."

Flayer shut the ball. "I've never seen anything like this before," he said. "If you want, I'll keep it for a while and ask around."

"Sure," Trace said, looking at Lysander.

Lysander nodded. "Who do you think made it?"

"I don't... no idea," Flayer said, spacing out for a moment. "Seems like—"

"Flayer!" barged in Hal from outside. "Something's goin' on outside—you better come quick. Mornin', everybody." He turned and left.

Flayer put down the ball, for now. "Let's see what's up, then."

* * *

><p>The Latios was lying on the ground, pinned there by Hal and a Lairon. Lysander recognized him from some legend he had been told when he was a kid. He was as surprised as everyone else to see one right in front of him, being subdued for practically attacking someone. The Latios matched everything in the legends. His body shape in general reminded Lysander of a jet plane, whatever that was. He tried to remember what he was thinking of, but he couldn't.<p>

"Feelin' civil?" Hal asked the Latios.

"Huh—y-yes, I'm sorry," he murmured. "I lost control."

"You damn near destroyed someone's house," Hal said, getting off, "but I getcha." The Lairon got off, too.

The Latios paused, staring into space. He looked into the eyes of everyone in front of him—maybe a quarter of the town, which was only a handful of people. "I'm sorry," he said. "I'm mistaken. None of you know anything about what I'm talking about. But... no..."

He hovered into the air, dirt drifting off his azure and gray body, and drifted off. Lysander saw a teardrop sparkle as it plummeted to the ground.

Once he was gone from sight, everyone erupted into chatter. Lysander heard people talking about legends associated with Latios and theories about why he turned up here. Nobody expected him to leave so quickly. They all talked and talked, and it bothered Lysander.

"Nobody's going to help him?" he called out. Everybody hushed.

"Well, he's already gone," pointed out Hal. "Didn't ask for help, didn't stick around, didn't nothin'."

"He _did_ seem convinced somebody was here," Flayer said. "For those of you who didn't see it, he crashed into Piers's house, looking for something, then demanded where we were keeping 'her.' We managed to calm him down, but he got sad and left. Said he lost control."

"I feel sorry for him," Piers said. Several Poochyena played at his feet, oblivious of the situation. "I mean, he was just mistaken. There's nothing wrong with passion."

"We didn't lose anything, honey," Nebbie said, coming back from their house. "So that's good."

"I'm gonna go help him," Lysander said. Everyone fell silent again.

"Good luck," Hal said. Some people laughed, but a stern glance from Hal quickly silenced them.

"He can't be far, if he really thinks she's here," Lysander reasoned. "Whoever she is."

"Well, he went that way," Flayer said, pointing to the north. "You sure about this? That guy can fly fast, or so I've heard."

"And, you know, you'd be messing with legends and stuff," added the Lairon. "Might be better off not getting mixed up in all that."

That set the small crowd buzzing. As they dispersed, Trace whispered to Lysander, "You think you can _find _him?"

"Nobody wanted to help him," Lysander murmured. "Like I said, he can't be far. I've got nothing to do, anyways."

"I do!" Trace whined. "I need to fix Piers's house. Hal already told me to."

"Okay, then—"

"Don't you wanna come with me?" Trace asked.

"I really want to help that Latios," Lysander said. "I'll help you after—"

"But that's a waste of time! How do you even know—"

"It's _not_ a waste of time! Did you see how messed up he was over this? He was crying. And nobody wants to help him! Just 'cause you don't believe in myths—"

"Well, fine!" Trace yelled. "N-not my fault when you're all... lost and alone!" He practically sobbed out the last three words.

"Wait, Trace," Lysander said, but he was already gone. He didn't know where Piers's house was—and Trace probably wouldn't talk to him anyway. He shuffled out of town, alone, in less than high spirits. He was already starting to doubt himself.

* * *

><p>"No need to hide," the Latios said, not turning. He stared into the lake's surface, which mirrored the sky so well that Lysander didn't realize it was water until a breeze gently disrupted it. Lysander had been looking at the Latios from afar, but it apparently did no good.<p>

"Hi," Lysander said, walking up to the Latios. They both were at the lake's edge, looking down at their reflections. "What—"

"You were back there, when I lost it, weren't you?" the Latios interrupted. "I appreciate you coming."

"What happened?" Lysander asked, sitting down.

The Latios sighed. He shimmered and then took the form of a Gabite, startling Lysander. The Latios sat next to him. "Sorry. It's more comfortable this way."

"You can _transform_?"

"Well, it took forever to learn," the Latios said defensively. "I didn't want to just float there while you sat." The two Gabites looked at their reflections in the water. Lysander would have laughed if the situation wasn't so somber.

"It's Latias," the Latios explained. "Something took her. She said she could feel something, like something was probing the fabric of the universe. It's hard to explain."

"Okay," Lysander said, just beginning to realize he was consoling somebody he only knew from legends.

"And she said she was going to see what it was, but then she just disappeared!" the Latios said, gesturing with his Gabite arms. "I tried to teleport to her location, but it only took me to your town. And I was so distressed that I ruined some poor person's house." He sighed again.

Images suddenly flashed through Lysander's mind—it was the Latios's point of view as he raged and tore at Piers's house. Lysander even felt some anger rising up from somewhere. It reminded him about the kind of powerful psychic abilities the Latios had, and it was a bit frightening, but he knew the Latios wouldn't hurt him. "You didn't ruin anything," Lysander assured him.

"Oh. That's good. I—_AH_!" The Latios suddenly writhed in pain, falling on his side. "They're doing something to her," he said after the pain subsided. "We have a close mental bond, and they just—they just tortured her or something!"

"She's not at the town, that's for sure," Lysander told him.

"Yeah, nobody knew what I was talking about. I could feel all their confusion."

"What if she's in a different world?"

The Latios paused to sit back up next to Lysander. He was still in Gabite form. "It would make sense," he said after a minute. "She'd be in this location, but in another world. Then that thing she felt—I could feel it, too—it was something that took her away from here. From me."

"Well, if I can help in any way," Lysander offered. "I don't have anything to do." He immediately felt guilty for saying that. He thought of Trace and the guilt redoubled.

"Oh, go ahead with whatever you have to do," the Latios said, picking up on Lysander's emotions. "I need to talk with some... people. About how to reach other worlds. I'll come back—I'll probably need help from someone like you."

"Okay," Lysander said, standing up. "Thanks."

"No, thank _you_, Lysander," the Latios sighed, shimmering again and turning back into his normal form. He hovered high into the air, and then flew off. Lysander watched him disappear into the distance, then left for town. After a few minutes of walking, he wondered how the Latios had known his name.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Lysander," Piers said. "The house is already all fixed up, but thanks for coming anyway. How was the thing with the... Latios?"<p>

"Oh, we just talked. We were at this lake that was like a mirror, it was so shiny."

"Oh, I know that place," Piers recalled. He sat down, scratching behind one of his ears. "That's, uh, Mirror Lake. We take the kids there every once in a while."

"Have you seen Trace?"

"He went home. He looked pretty sad, too, you know."

"I'll go talk to him."

"I guess you're helping out everyone today, huh?"

"Sorta," Lysander said. He waved bye to Piers and his family before leaving for Trace's house. The sun was low in the sky—walking to and from Mirror Lake had taken longer than he thought.

* * *

><p>"Trace?" Lysander called gently into the darkening room. "You there?"<p>

A moment of silence, then: "Yeah." He was napping, or trying to. Lysander felt guilty again, seeing Trace lying there facing the wall.

"How was the—"

"They fixed it without my help."

"Oh." Lysander sat down across the room from Trace. "Look, I'm sorry about the whole Latios thing. I talked to him, though, and he said it might be something crazy. Like something about other worlds."

Trace stirred. "Like the world you think you came from?"

"The what?"

"Never mind." Trace sat up, sighing. "Wanna tell me what happened?"

Lysander saw it as Trace's offer to forget about the quarrel earlier. He was so relieved to accept.

"Well, the Latios said it was like, something poking the fabric of the _universe_," Lysander began, lying down and explaining away.


	16. No Choice in the Matter

"Gabe," Ray mumbled. It was way too early in the morning to be waking up. "Stop poking me."

Gabe squawked shrilly in response, and the touching started moving down from Ray's chest to his waist. Ray turned and sat up in his sleeping bag, confused. "Wha—"

Squawk! It wasn't Gabe. A little bird was standing by his legs, and when it saw Ray sitting up it squeaked excitedly, jumping on his lap and hopping up and down.

Ray picked it up and held it in his hands, and it beamed at him. Even _he_ had to admit it was insanely cute. And it wasn't really a bird—it was feathery, sure, but the wings were more like arms. The feathers were yellow on the body, blue at the ends of the arms, and red by the neck and tail. The tail itself had one big, blue, diamond-shaped feather. Ray glanced over to his bag and saw the egg—broken and empty.

So it hatched! Ray got up and went over to get his Pokédex, and the little not-quite-bird followed him, waving its feathery arms in the air. It peered at Gabe and Stanley, but never left Ray's side.

The Pokédex had little information, save that the species, Archen, was supposedly extinct. The pictures shown were just of fossils, so it was possible Ray had the only living member of the species. But he doubted it.

The Archen squawked again, demanding attention. Ray sat down in front of it, entertaining it by holding its tiny claws and shaking its arms. He had to think of a good name for it.

Hawken? No, it wasn't even a bird. Squawks? He'd probably regret that one later on. Flayer? No, didn't sound right.

Eventually, though, Ray decided on a name: Archie. It was perfect. Ray yawned, satisfied with his choice, and Archie mimicked him by opening wide and giving a weird yawnlike cry. It made Ray chuckle, and Archie squawked gleefully.

"Wake up, Gabe!" Ray said in high spirits. It was probably Archie's excitement rubbing off on him. "It's time to get going!"

* * *

><p>Chargestone Cave made the hair on the back of Ray's neck stand up, but probably only because of the place's unusual electrostatic properties. Spolt wandered from rock to sparking rock, enjoying the energy they radiated, but Felsin and Archie stayed by Ray's side. Dax and Terral had opted out of the excursion, and were resting in their balls.<p>

Squawk! Archie's cry echoed throughout the huge, cavernous passageway. Floating rocks big and small littered the place, but all the ones in the way had been moved already. Those rocks were the only source of light in the cave.

"So is this the path through?" Gabe asked. They were walking on a paler, worn path on the cave floor.

"Probably," Stanley said.

"What's wrong?" Ray murmured. Felsin was hugging his side, even as he walked. "Are you scared?"

Felsin's timid reply echoed back and forth. He was too big to be hiding the way he was, but he tried anyway.

"It's okay," Ray assured his Armaldo. "Nothing here's gonna hurt you." Maybe Felsin needed to see his reflection, to realize how much he had changed. He could walk on land now, and take on anything.

As they walked on through the cave, Ray found he was right. There weren't any Pokémon at all.

"Why do you think it's like this?" Gabe asked when Ray brought it up. "Like that other cave."

"Wouldn't be surprised if it had to do with _convergence_," Stanley said, saying the word with disapproval.

* * *

><p>"Wow, that took longer than I thought," Ray said as everyone emerged on the other side of Chargestone Cave. It had taken them almost two hours to get through, and that was without any harassment from wild Pokémon. Felsin finally left Ray's side, and went over to walk with Spolt and Archie. Despite being smaller than the other two, the Archen somehow managed to keep pace.<p>

"Well, there's Mistralton," Stanley said, pointing. The cave practically ended right where the city began, with only a little field separating the two. "You know, Ray, you should get Archie in a ball before we hit the city."

"Oh, yeah," Ray said. He had totally forgotten that Archie was technically wild. He fished a brand new Poké Ball from his bag, held it in his palm, and knelt down in front of Archie.

"Archie, this is gonna be your ball," he told it. Archie glanced at Felsin, before nosing the ball curiously and hitting the button. The ball clicked open, enveloping it in light and then capturing it. Something inside the ball clicked, without the usual wiggling that meant a struggle was taking place. As soon as the ball settled, Ray hit the button again and freed Archie, letting it inspect the ball a second time. Archie squawked, puzzled.

"Well, that was easy," Stanley observed.

"Let's go to the Gym!" Gabe urged. He pulled out the map. "It's over—"

"Actually," Ray interrupted, clipping Archie's ball to his belt, "we should go see the Horizon guy first."

"Well... fine," Gabe mumbled, putting away the map. He let out his Growlithe, walking alongside it. Ray couldn't help but think Gabe was irritated about something, but he didn't know what. And when he asked about things like that, they usually just got worse.

* * *

><p>The lobby of the Horizon Experimental Technologies headquarters building wasn't fancy like a big hotel's, but it was kept spotless. Nobody was there, except for a kind-looking young receptionist at a desk by the elevators. She typed on a computer and consulted a ledger simultaneously.<p>

"Hi," Ray greeted her. "I—"

"He's ready for you now," she said, giving them nothing more than a moment's glance. "Twelfth floor."

"Okay... thanks," Ray mumbled, confused.

When Stanley and Gabe started to follow him to the elevators, the receptionist looked up again. "Wait," she called. "Him only. I'm sorry, but that's how it goes. We got chairs here, you can make yourselves comfortable." She grabbed a remote and turned on a flat-screen TV over by the chairs, before returning to her work. The chairs looked like they were stolen from a dentist's office or something.

Ray shrugged at his two friends, pushing the elevator call button. "I guess I'll see back soon," he said. When the elevator came, he stepped in and sent himself to the twelfth floor.

* * *

><p>"I am so glad you came, Raymond," Pierre Hensef said, smiling. "You saved me a lot of trouble. Have a seat."<p>

The twelfth floor was one huge room, with all of the light coming from the floor-to-ceiling windows. Pierre was sitting at a desk with his back to the morning sky, leaning forward with his arms crossed. There were only a few chairs lying around—the floor didn't seem too useful for a business skyscraper. Ray took a chair nervously.

"I kept this floor empty because the view is beautiful," Pierre said, glancing at the landscape behind him. "It's like a beautiful painting that—"

"Excuse me, but why do you want me here?" Ray said, hoping the interruption wasn't too offensive. Pierre made him even more nervous in person.

"—A painting that changes every day," Pierre finished, frowning. He stood up and paced behind his desk. "You're here because we need you."

"For what?"

"Convergence will happen tomorrow—we changed the date, waiting for you. We need you for this to happen."

"I don't—"

"We have done a plethora of tests on this new world. We've sent objects to it, you know. And before we figured out how to send _people_, we discovered we could take someone's mind and have it exist in both worlds—without the knowledge of either. That's you. Nimbasa was an accident, but now I don't regret it at all."

"Wait, so you need me for the convergence thing? I thought it was already happening!" Ray glanced back at the elevator, wondering how long it would take to come if he called it.

"It is!" Pierre insisted. "But it needs a little push. Tomorrow's the day the two worlds are closest. And you're going to help us bring them together."

Ray _still_ didn't know if convergence was real. But he knew that he was getting out of here as soon as he could. "Uh... What are you gonna do?"

"Bring your two minds together. It might not end well for you, but convergence is the ultimate goal. You understand, yes?"

"No, not really," Ray muttered. "I don't want to do that, whatever you're doing."

Pierre laughed, turning from the window to glare at Ray. "But you have no choice in the matter!"

Ray stood up. "If you can send people over, then why not just send the people who want to go? You don't have to drag in people who don't want to!"

"It's for the good of everyone, Raymond. Sit down."

Ray didn't sit down. "No, I'm not doing this." He made for the elevator, punching the button.

Pierre reached inside his coat and produced a gun, which made Ray stop in his tracks. It was a little pistol, but it was the first time Ray had seen such a weapon—and it was pointed at him. Ray shivered.

"You're gonna _shoot_ me?" he cried. He considered releasing Terral—Skarmory feathers were supposedly bulletproof—but it would take a few seconds, which was plenty of time to get shot.

Pierre laughed again. "No, Raymond." He closed one eye and pulled the trigger before Ray could react. "It's just a tranquilizer gun."

The dart traveled across the room and pierced Ray's shirt. He turned and fell on his rear, as the elevator pinged above him. The doors opened, but Ray was already too lethargic to get up. He tipped over onto the floor, shocked and somewhat scared, not bothering to pull the dart from his chest.

A beep from somewhere. Ray heard Pierre call for someone to come up and get him. The elevator closed, empty, as it was called by some other floor.

"I guess it ends the same, either way," Pierre said, standing over him.

"You... lied," Ray uttered. He couldn't get off the floor. He could barely move.

"I thought you were less naive than that," tutted Pierre. "Sometimes you have to lie to help everybody. If you survive this, you thank me when we're all working together. As Pokémon."

Ray tried to come up with a retort, but he could barely stay conscious. Eventually, he said, "What are you gonna do if it doesn't work?" The words came out slurred.

"You fool," Pierre muttered. "It _will_ work. We have you." He kept on talking, but Ray couldn't tell what he was saying.

Ray faintly heard the elevator ping again, before he passed out.


	17. Sharing Senses

"There you are, Lysander," the Latios said from somewhere, relieved.

Lysander was startled to find himself flying up in the sky somehow, with his arms pressed to his sides. He couldn't feel his legs. And he couldn't see where the Latios was. Trees rushed by far below him; the moon hung motionless above. He tried to look around, but he couldn't move his body.

"You're still asleep, by the way," the Latios explained, still out of view. "I'm awake, though, and I figured we could talk some more. Your dream was taking a turn for the worse, anyway."

"Where are we?" Lysander asked, still confused. The side of his own face looked different in the moonlight—bright blue in the moonlight, instead of grayish-blue like a Gabite. His other senses reported disconcerting differences too—in his form as well as the way he perceived the world around him.

"That's right, we're sharing the same body," the Latios revealed. "I can't make a second body for you, no matter how powerful the legends say I am."

"So I'm _you_?" Lysander questioned, awed.

"Well, you're sharing my senses, but you're not in _control_ of my body, no matter how much it seems like you're me," the Latios said. Lysander felt an odd, gentle probing sensation, unconnected to any of the familiar senses. "Let me look for a phrase. You're probably somewhere near the right meaning," the Latios said. "Oh, it's like you're 'in the passenger's seat.' Does that make sense?"

"No," Lysander murmured.

"Hmm, I could have sworn that phrase carried the meaning I was looking for," the Latios mused. "It was on the tip of your mind. Anyway, well, remember you're still sleeping over at home. And your mind's over there, too, technically—I'm just sending my senses to yours, and communicating with you telepathically. You know, you're taking it very well. You're already used to all this."

"So where are we going? Are you sure this isn't a dream?" Lysander asked.

The Latios sniffed the night air, which meant that Lysander did, too. "Smell the air, and try to tell me you're still dreaming," the Latios said.

None of Lysander's dreams had ever been so vivid. "Okay, I believe you," he conceded.

"We're going to talk to one of my old friends," the Latios told him. "He was a friend of my father, and my grandfather, and who knows how many ancestors before them." Sensing something in Lysander's thoughts, he added, "Yes, we reproduce."

"What's your name?" Lysander asked.

"Tesoros. As part of the oldest generation, I'm supposed to go by Latios, and only use my given name for... when others of us are around. But I'm the only male left, so I don't mind if you call me Tesoros."

"Okay, Tesoros," Lysander said, making sure he got the name right. "Who're we going to see?"

"We're just going to talk to him. He's gonna help us cross over to the other world."

"We're going to the other world?"

"Yeah. If you're from over there, then we can help bring you back—and save Latias at the same time."

"_Should_ I go back?"

The question went unanswered. They were silent for a few minutes—two minds experiencing exactly the same sensations. Lysander could almost fool himself into believing _he_ was a Latios. At the same time, though, he had no control—the connection from mind to body ran in only one direction.

"I'm only sharing my senses with you, overriding yours with mine," Tesoros explained again. "I didn't actually connect your mind to my body. That way, we're not fighting over it." He flew into a cloud, getting covered with moisture.

"I know," replied Lysander. He wanted to shake off the moisture, but couldn't.

"Sorry," Tesoros apologized. "I read that as confusion."

"So you can read my mind?"

"Yes, but it's a terrible thing to do. I never do it—I only pick up on feelings, which is like body language for telepathy. Feelings are emotions, but also thoughts that you haven't put into words. You can probably feel some of mine."

After some more quiet traveling, they took a deep breath, tasting salt in the air. Below them rested the immense ocean, dark and flat.

"Have we been flying over the ocean?" Lysander asked, not sure if teleportation had happened. He had spaced out.

"Yeah, for a few minutes now," Tesoros said. "Not related, but I have a confession to make."

"What do you mean?"

Lysander felt guilt come from Tesoros's mind. His eyes averted, bringing Lysander's gaze down into the ocean.

"I—I saw you there, in that town, and I noticed something different about you, mentally. It's hard to describe. It was similar to whatever was pushing on our world, our universe. I thought you had something to do with my problem. You actually helped me calm down, you know. To act with reason. I was intrigued. I would have attacked you, if I hadn't felt complete confusion from you when you saw me."

"Thanks?"

"No, thank _you_. Anyway, there's no way I would have let myself become subdued like that—all in the dirt!—if I hadn't been so interested in you. You've got something from this other world, you know."

Memories of talking with Trace in the forest came rushing back to Lysander. "Yeah, about that," he murmured. Then he explained that he had woken up one day in a forest, thinking he had been a human in some other world. He also told how Trace convinced him that it had been some crazy dream.

He felt puzzlement coming from Tesoros. "So you're probably really from the world my Latias is in right now," he said. "Do you remember anything about it?"

"It wasn't crazy different, I think," Lysander recalled. "The only difference was it had humans. I was a human. I don't really remember anything else."

A bit of telepathic silence. "I've heard stories about that kind of thing before," Tesoros murmured. "You know what that means? You're a legend, too."

"I don't feel like a legend. Besides being a Latios right now."

Lysander felt Tesoros think something—a thought without words. Tesoros didn't feel like a legend either, except by being with a human.

"You really mean that?"

"Oh—well, feelings are hard to fake. Anyways, I wanted to apologize because I sort of—I persuaded—I kind of made you more inclined to see me, more than anyone else. I suppressed the reasoning in your head that would convince you not to go out looking."

"But I really felt like that. I wanted to help you."

"Yes. Yes, you did. And I'm grateful. I just stopped that part of your psyche that would have held you back. I could tell you weren't going to speak out in front of that crowd."

"I'm—it's okay," insisted Lysander. "No harm done."

"I feel bad for putting you and Trace at odds with each other. I couldn't help but feel your distress over it."

"Well, we're okay now. By the way, how did you get my name?"

Tesoros emitted shame. "I'm not proud of the way I lost control. I began looking through people's heads for answers. Some people associated you with danger, by the way. I thought that was unfair."

Lysander didn't feel like dwelling on the past day, especially when he had another past to think about. He couldn't remember anything about being human, besides the fact that he could probably still read in the human language. Who had he been as a human? Had the same time passed in the other world—about four days? Three?—since he had left? Were people looking for him? He felt vaguely ignorant, like he was missing something.

"I don't know, either," Tesoros said, descending quickly. "Where is he? He usually talks as soon as I reach the sea." The ocean quickly became louder than the wind.

"Where are we going, exactly?" Lysander asked, glad to not have to raise his voice over the noise.

"You'll see!" Tesoros insisted. "He'll—"

"Tesoros!" came a third telepathic voice. "You brought him?"

"He's with us, but not physically."

"Hi," Lysander said shyly. "I'm Lysander."

"Sense-sharing? I see. Well, Lysander, nice to mentally meet you! My name is Lugia."

Lysander couldn't believe it. "You mean—"

"Yes! The legends are true! Most of them, at least."

Tesoros kept flying low over the ocean, while Lysander's head spun. He was sharing the body of a Latios, and now he was communicating with the legendary guardian of the sea—all while being asleep! What a night.

"You need mental sleep, though, so we should get to business," said Lugia's mind. "You and Tesoros are going to the other world. I've been checking it out, and it looks like I can get you two over. It's easier with you, since you're from across the barrier already. Don't worry if you don't get what I'm talking about. We'll go over it again tomorrow.

"I'm going to warp you high in the sky, so you don't end up in the ground or anything like that. I don't know how different it is over there. Tesoros, do you think you can get back by yourself if you have Cair... Latias with you?"

"Probably. We can use whatever they're using to pierce the barrier."

"Okay. Lysander, do you remember anything at all about the other world? I'll try and help."

With Lugia's assistance—a bit of mental nudging—Lysander began remembering his past life.

"Well, the humans... live with Pokémon... I used to be a Trainer... Trainers have Pokémon... they were my best friends, I think." Thinking about it depressed him, like he had run away from home and everyone he knew.

"Since you'll probably turn back into a human when you go back there, you'll have to pretend to be Tesoros's... Trainer. Tesoros, you'll have to change into someone less... legendary."

"That's fine," Tesoros said.

"I don't know how long this weakness in the barrier will last," Lugia warned, "so don't waste any time over there. Lysander, you don't have to come back here if you don't want to."

"I don't know, though—"

"Yeah, don't worry about it," Tesoros interrupted. "You can figure it out later."

"Oh!" Lysander said, remembering something. "I found this ball thing yesterday, and I think it's from the other world! Humans used it to capture Pokémon. Do you think it'll help?"

"It might help you cross over," Lugia said. "And also with the disguise. Sure, bring it."

"Okay."

"Is that all?" Tesoros asked. He was still over the dark ocean, which was lit in a stripe by the moon.

"I guess," Lysander said.

"We'll let you get some sleep," Lugia said. "We're going to try this tomorrow morning. Be sure to bring your ball thing. And you might want to say goodbye to people, just in case."

"Good night," bid Tesoros.

As Lysander's senses (which were actually Tesoros's) faded away, the two psychics kept talking.

"These humans don't sound good," Lugia said faintly. "The ball thing sounds like enslavement to me."

"Lysander's a nice person," Tesoros said. "I can feel it."

"I guess they can't _all _be bad..."

"He's involved, but..." The voices faded away, too.

And then Lysander was back to sleep.


	18. Caged

When Ray awakened, he found himself in a lab, locked in a cage. It was just large enough for him to move around without hitting the sides, but he had to stay bent over. Sleeping beside him, taking up about half the cage, was a Pokémon he had seen only in movies.

He was locked up with a Latias.

Ray yawned, confused. His Poké Balls were missing. He got up and crawled over to the Latias on all fours. It was wearing some sort of glowing harness. And as far as he could tell, the Pokémon was real.

But then the Latias suddenly woke up, hovering slightly and backing away from Ray. It cried faintly. It was afraid of him.

"What's wrong?" Ray asked the Latias, which was up against the back of the cage. It looked into Ray's eyes, and seeing something there, seemed to relax a little. It rested on the floor, curled up at one end of the cage, miserable.

Ray looked around. Nobody was in the lab, but a few small machines where whirring away. The room was white, roomy and uncluttered, like it was brand new and had barely been used. The cage was in the corner, resting against a big vent in the wall.

Ray couldn't help but stare at the Latias. He had no idea why it was there.

The Latias turned and looked straight at him again, making eye contact once more. Suddenly Ray was flying around a different lab, knocking things over and thrashing around. A pinch in his side: tranquilizer. Then he found himself strapped down to some sort of device. He couldn't feel his legs—must have been the tranquilizer. The device switched on, flooding Ray with pain. He squirmed and even begged, but couldn't escape. Then he was strapped in a tight harness and thrown into a cage.

Ray blinked. It had been a vision. He recalled a movie about Latios and Latias, where they had used visions to show humans how they felt. It wasn't all fantasy, then—Ray was sure the Latias had just done it. They were using her, too.

The Latias lay still after the vision ended. Ray wanted to speak to her, but couldn't think of anything good to say. When he moved his arm to touch her, though, she didn't object. Her wing felt soft, yet smooth like glass—unlike any texture Ray knew. She turned her head, staring into the corner of the room. Ray let go, not knowing whether to apologize or not. He held his tongue, for now.

Ray sat down next to the Latias, resting against the cage. He looked up at the lab's many counters and tables, wondering what was going on. Nothing gave any clue, except that Horizon had science labs. But after a few minutes, a guy in a lab coat entered the room.

"Oh, so that's where they're keeping you," he said as the door closed behind him. "I guess they really have no space in this building. Be glad you're not in a broom closet or something." He walked over to one of the tables and looked through a microscope.

"What's going on?" Ray called out. He knew it was a stupid question.

"Nothing I'd tell you would make any sense," the scientist said, not turning from his work. "Besides, I think you know why you're here already. Your mind is on both worlds, so it'll help us bring them together."

"Why's she here?" Ray continued, looking at the Latias. She was still motionless.

"If something's not in its original world, it generates a force that—well, you wouldn't understand."

"She's from the other world?"

"Right," the scientist said, opening a journal and scribbling in it. "I'm studying its physiology. Nothing seems to be much different about the Pokémon from the other side." He put down the journal. "I've pretty much finished my research," he continued. "I won't have much use for it once convergence happens."

"How do you know it's going to happen?" Ray asked.

"I'm a biologist, not a physicist," he said, shrugging. "They're the ones who know about all that stuff. Pretty smug about it, too."

Ray looked at the Latias, who was practically choked by her harness. "What's with the harness?" he asked.

"It interferes with its psychic powers," the scientist revealed. "Otherwise, she would just transform or teleport or who knows what." He glanced in Ray's direction. "It's locked on tight. Don't get any ideas. They won't work." He turned and left the room without saying anything else.

Several minutes passed in quiet monotony, with Ray afraid to bother the Latias again. After a while, he laid eyes on the scientist's lab journal, thinking it might answer some questions. If not, at least he had something to read. Pierre had said there was about a day left until convergence came around.

But the journal was far out of his reach.

He felt irritated because of that, and also because of how they were treating the Latias. He turned to her and gently tried to get a finger underneath the harness. But it was on too tight.

The Latias turned and looked at Ray again, with damp eyes. She had been crying. Not knowing what else to do, Ray crawled over and hugged her neck. An odd feeling spread through him—a mixture of gratitude and affection. It warmed him.

"It'll be alright," Ray said to her.

She lifted her head, looked from Ray to the journal, then closed her eyes in concentration. The journal started shaking, then lifted off the table. Just barely hovering, it drifted over to the age and slipped through the bars into Ray's lap. It looked more like guided falling than levitation.

"You did that for me?" he asked the Latias. She nodded once, then rested her head on the floor.

He stared down at the journal's cover. _Property of Matthew Clerkson, Ph.D_. "You didn't have to," Ray murmured.

The Latias shuddered. Ray could actually feel her mental exhaustion. She turned to face Ray, then closed her eyes.

Now he couldn't resist reading the journal. Ray flipped open to the first entry. Sloppy writing filled the page.

_June 14, first day on the job_, the journal read. _The lab here is nice, even if I have to take the elevator six floors belowground. Brought in all my biology stuff, but they told me to come watch the physicists and techno-wizards do some experiments. Pierre preached to me about convergence, a world ruled by Pokémon, all that. They put an Ultra Ball in this machine, and apparently zapped it to the other world in an instant. The physicists say that objects in the wrong world exert a force in an attempt to get back to their own world. I don't argue with them. They told me to prepare to study life from the other world. It seems like busy work, if we're all just crossing over without any of our stuff._

Ray skipped a handful of pages, because they were full of tables and notes of actual research.

_July 1. Word came in from the guys setting up the power grid in Chargestone Cave. Apparently, they had almost set up completely in Wellspring Cave before realizing they screwed up. I wouldn't be terribly shocked if the idiots gave us away! The machinery has a repulsive effect on Pokémon, some people were bound to notice. Anyway, some people are going to get suspicious, especially after the accident on the bridge, where Pierre had to pull some strings..._

Despite all they had put him through, Ray was still surprised to find Horizon at the heart of a bunch of seemingly-unrelated incidents. Their technology must take a lot of energy, if they have to tap into Chargestone Cave.

_July 7_. Ray skipped past the lab notes. _The accident in Nimbasa was related to a power shortage... they apparently underestimated the energy needs of the device. Oh well. Nothing happened, I guess. I tried to look at the previous experiments on the physics side, but it's kept under wraps or something like that. I wonder what the physicists have been doing. They sure make "pure" science sound fun._

_July 8. Physics side is proud to have taken a Pokémon from the other world. They say I can finally be somewhat useful. Jerks. They decided to keep it in my lab. As if I don't feel guilty enough working for these guys. It's Latias, too, straight from the movies. They put a harness on it that screws up its psychic powers. The physicists get to run tests on it, for now. Good thing they found a living thing from the other world to help bring the worlds together. Rumor is that the worlds aren't going to collide unless we actively make them. I told them that since Latias, by legend, has a psychic bond with its mate, that the converging effect will be even greater. They seem to agree. Somewhat useful my ass._

_July 10. Finally gave me Latias, so I can run tests. Took skin samples as well as saliva. Test results should be by tomorrow. All I can do now is wait and talk about science like a good little biologist. Actually, Mark says Professor Juniper is coming out with a theory of some new kind of evolution, with analysis of fossil evidence. It's called permanent evolution, where the characteristics of Pokémon change over extremely long periods of time. It changes the species, while transient evolution is the one we're all familiar with. Mark says it's crap without real evidence, but I think it makes sense._

_July 11. _Ray noted that that was today's date. The entry was short._ They caught the kid Pierre has been obsessing over. Locked him up with the Latias like an animal. I run a laboratory, not a dungeon. I assume they're just locking him up until the big day tomorrow. All the physicists are excited. They say between the kid, and Latias, and all the messing they've done with the two worlds, convergence is definitely happening._

Ray closed the journal. He thought about going back and reading other entries, but decided against it. The guy could come back any minute, and Ray wanted to avoid trouble—even if he was pretty deep in it already.

"Hey... Latias?" Ray asked quietly, touching her wing. "Can you put this back?"

She stirred and tried to replace the journal, but couldn't lift it up to the table. It shuddered, then fell to the floor.

"It's alright," Ray said, tentatively petting her. "Gravity helped last time." She sighed through her nose morosely, but Ray still felt the warm feeling from before.

Now that the both of them felt more comfortable with physical contact, Ray gently inspected the harness for some way to free Latias—that would be the easiest way to escape. All he could find was a small hole on the back, where some sort of key probably went.

The harness looked impossible to mess with, so Ray sat for a while to think of a plan. He figured Latias could only do little things like hovering and very light telekinesis. She was probably still exhausted from giving Ray visions.

Ray's brainstorming was interrupted by Latias, who yawned at him. She seemed to be telling him to get some rest.

"But I only have one day—"

She moved towards him, insisting. Ray yawned.

"Are you making me tired?"

Latias rested her head on Ray's lap. It felt light, like a pillow.

"I don't want to sleep," Ray moaned. He desperately looked for a way out.

Something was on the floor next to the journal—a thick plastic card. A key card? Had it been in the journal the whole time?

"Latias," Ray nudged. "Get the card, it might open the cage!"

She sighed, got up, and used her psychic abilities one last time—to get Ray the card. It floated over with ease compared to the heavier journal.

Ray grabbed the card as soon as it was through the cage bars. He crawled over to the cage's door panel, feeling the flat surface on the other side. Ray couldn't see anything from inside, but he could reach through the bars and slide the card everywhere.

Eventually, the door clicked open. Latias perked up, but didn't move.

"Come on," Ray urged quietly. He hoped nobody would be coming soon.

Latias tried to hover on out, but it seemed the last of her strength was gone. Ray reached into the cage and pulled her out, making sure not to get her wings stuck. With both of them out of the cage, Ray shut the door and hid the card key in his pocket. Latias gave him a helpless look.

Ray reached under her belly and lifted, finding her to be surprisingly light for her size. Ray stooped a little, nonetheless. He was holding her in front, with both arms underneath her—a bit like a hero carrying his damsel, but that thought thoroughly embarrassed Ray.

"Let's go, then," Ray panted, walking over to the door. He wanted to replace the journal, but he didn't want to put Latias down, either. He pushed open the door—no handles—and turned to fit Latias through the doorway.

The hallway was poorly lit, but thankfully deserted. Ray couldn't see a sign for the elevator, so he started walking, wondering how he would get Latias's harness off. He found the elevator on his own after a few minutes, but hid in a nearby closet instead. It was just large enough to fit the two of them.

"Sorry," Ray mumbled when Latias uttered a little cry, in protest of the tight space. He pulled off his C-Gear, punching some buttons.

"Ray?" Gabe answered over the phone. "Where have you been?"

"I was kidnapped by Horizon," Ray whispered into the C-Gear. "They've got me and a Latias here, so they can carry out convergence."

"I thought it was happening on its own."

"They found out they have to do it themselves—look, just come and help me, okay?"

A pause. "Why didn't you call the police?" Gabe asked.

"Pierre can control them, I think. If he can close the bridge, then—"

"That was him?"

"Shh!" hushed Ray. "I'm in a closet on floor B6. Right by the elevator. You gotta help me."

Another pause. "We have a way in," came Stanley's voice. "Just stay there." The call ended.

Ray put his C-Gear back on his wrist. "We gotta wait," he whispered to Latias, stroking her side. She didn't respond, except by moving slightly. She put her head on Ray's lap again—this time, only because there wasn't much space.

Ray sat quietly with Latias, nervously wondering how much Stanley could be trusted to save him. Latias fell asleep on Ray's lap, but he didn't know whether it was from boredom or exhaustion. He wondered if he would die if he was caught, or if he'd be in a coma again. Permanently, this time. Not wanting to dwell on that subject, he began thinking about what Pokémon he would want to be in the other world. He couldn't decide on one, but he knew it would be really cool to talk to his own Pokémon.

His daydreaming was interrupted by the door slamming open.

"They're here!" confirmed a heavyset guy in a security uniform. He blocked the doorway.

Ray started to get up, relieved, with Latias in his arms. "Thanks for—"

"Don't move." The security guy pushed him back down with his foot. Then he stepped back through the doorway, to let Pierre in.

"I see you're determined to make things difficult for us," he said, drawing close. "It appears, though, that the harness remains untampered with. How did you think you were going to escape?"

Ray wasn't paying attention to him. He was staring at the person hiding behind him. "What're you _doing_, Gabe?" he called urgently.

"Gabriel may have just saved convergence entirely," Pierre mumbled.

"It'll be better over there," Gabe persuaded. "He said we can be whatever Pokémon we want—"

"What if he's lying?" Ray yelled. "Don't you remember what he did on the news?"

"He—he never told me they wanted you! He asked who I was looking for, and—"

"Shush, now," Pierre interrupted.

Latias was wide awake now, cowering in Ray's lap.

"What's going on?" said someone in the hallway. It was the scientist from before.

"You!" Pierre called. "If we work the device now, will convergence still be successful?"

"I'm not on the physics side," the biologist replied, rolling his eyes. "Um, my friend who is, though, says any time today or tomorrow should work easily."

"Good," Pierre said. Apparently, he wasn't the kind of company boss who let others do all the work. He turned to Ray. "We're going to do it now, then. Pity my gun is out of darts." He brought back his foot menacingly, then knocked Ray out before he could decide how to dodge.


	19. Rescue

"No, I only need one person here running the machine," Pierre said from somewhere. "The fewer watching, the better." He paused, and Ray heard a door hiss shut. "So, Raymond, what's your favorite Pokémon?"

But Ray was more focused on escape than small talk. When Pierre repeated the question, Ray said, "I have a bunch."

Pierre went silent. Ray struggled to turn his head—he was strapped down everywhere—and glanced at Latias. She gazed back.

"Only about twenty-seven minutes left," said a scientist from somewhere behind Ray.

"_Only _twenty-seven?" Pierre huffed.

"Ray," Gabe called out from the corner of the room. "I didn't mean to—I was just—I didn't even know—"

"It's okay," Ray said, even though it really wasn't. He couldn't see Gabe, but he could guess he was tied up or something.

"How much time left?" Pierre asked.

"Twenty-_six_," the scientist said.

Ray had only a little while to find a way to escape. But it seemed impossible—everyone was tied up or strapped down, and nobody would be coming to help. Ray cursed himself for walking straight to Pierre right when he needed him. He should've known—right? Was it really all his fault?

But then a voice inside his head told him not to panic. It definitely wasn't Ray's own mind.

"Latias?" Ray thought loudly.

"No," said the voice. But the word came with a feeling of desperate longing.

Ray heard a ball opening somewhere behind him—where the scientist was.

"Free those two," the scientist told someone. Ray wasn't sure, but the voice was similar to the one that had been in his head.

Pierre didn't respond; instead, a Gabite walked into view. It was about to start cutting Ray free, but suddenly stopped to stare. And Ray stared back. He had never seen a Gabite except on TV, yet he felt like he knew this one.

"Hurry," the scientist urged, pacing into view. He watched as the Gabite blinked and cut Ray free from the huge, whirring machine. It then freed Latias and cut away her harness with a hesitative slash. Its eyes brightened when the harness fell away, apparently surprised by its own strength.

Ray lowered himself to the floor and immediately turned to Pierre. He was frozen in place, almost like a statue, but still breathing and blinking. Gabe was sitting in the nearby corner, tied up like Ray had guessed. The rope—not normal rope, but synthetic or something—had a lock on it that kept Ray from freeing Gabe. It reminded him of a bike lock.

"Finally!" cried the scientist. Ray turned around to see him hugging the Latias around the neck, and then nuzzling her face. Ray wasn't into romance at all, but he was still struck by how _in love _they were. Never mind that they were different species. In any other situation, Ray would have looked away to spare the lovers—and himself—any embarrassment, but his current situation was so bizarre that he couldn't help but back away a few steps and then gawk.

Until a deafening shot rang out and a bullet flew past his head.

Ray saw it do its damage before he could react. The scientist clutched his side in agony, while the Latias cried out in shock.

Ray immediately turned around, to see Pierre clutching a revolver—he'd seemed to have tired of using tranquilizers.

"I should have guessed your _mate_ would come to rescue you," he said to the Latias. Ray had the urge to try and knock him to the ground, or hit him with something, but the gun stopped all his ideas short. Pierre knew it, too—he paid no attention to Ray and Gabe. But what was that about her mate?

Ray turned his back to Pierre, hoping the gun-wielding boss would continue ignoring him. What he saw amazed him.

There was the Latias _and _a Latios, both looking very much in pain. Whatever gun Pierre was using, it was on the big side—the blood spreading on the floor shouldn't have come from one bullet. The injured Latios was lying on the ground, now, and the Latias was getting more and agitated.

"Grab on to me!" she said suddenly through telepathy.

Ray and the Gabite both reached out to touch the Latias, and once she held her mate's arm, everyone disappeared. Except Ray.

"What was _that_?" Gabe cried.

"No matter," Pierre said to nobody in particular. "We're so close now, I don't even think I need the Latias anymore." He aimed his gun at Ray. "I probably don't even need _you_. Regardless, sit back on the device. Those _Eon Pokémon_ have deserted you."

Ray found it hard to resist with that gun pointed at him.

He sat back on the machine, letting it whirr away. He idly wondered what Pokémon he'd end up being, then worried about his own Pokémon. And finally, he asserted to himself that he could either be teleported away or the machine could be destroyed.

Wait. That was Latias speaking to him.

"Sorry," she said, as a voice in his head. The thoughts flooded in, much faster than speech would have allowed. "I just—I don't know what to do. You know I'm from another world. The Latios is, too, and the Gabite you saw. We can't get home without some sort of powerful energy helping us. The only way I know that'll work is to blow up that machine you were strapped to. But I sense so much energy—it's practically bursting with it. I... I can't let you die. I don't even think I can let that man who almost killed us die, either—"

"Just blow it up," Ray said in his head. "You'll go home and save the world here."

"But—but you don't want to die," Latias said. "And—and I don't think I can save you if I blow it up—and if I don't blow it up, then we're stuck here! I won't let people die just so I—"

"Maybe not," Ray interrupted. "These guys are trying to put everyone in this world into your world. Or something. We'll all turn into Pok—"

"I won't let that happen!" Latias cried mentally. "I'd get back, but this entire world would be ruined! The people—"

"Then blow up the machine!" Ray urged. He glanced around—barely a few seconds had passed. Gabe was crying, and Pierre was peering at the computer.

"I'm sorry," Latias said after a moment, "if you get hurt. If you—"

"Just do it before you change your mind or it's too late!" Ray urged. He actually wanted it to happen before _he _changed his mind. Before he begged to be saved.

But he didn't have to beg: All of a sudden, with a quick rush of air and a flash of light, he was standing on grass in the shadow of the Horizon skyscraper. He was both relieved to be away from Pierre's gun and annoyed that Latias hadn't listened to him.

She was on the grass next to him, wings flat, taking care of the violently-shaking Latios as much as she could. The Gabite from before was there, too. He looked about as anxious as Ray did—neither of them knew whether to help or leave it to Latias.

"I saved you," the Latias said mentally, her thoughts labored and laced with exhaustion. "And I called your friend."

"You shouldn't have saved me!" Ray said. "Now they'll—they'll . . . "

Ray stopped himself. It was just too hard to yell at her like that, when she was struggling to keep her soul mate alive. She was just trying to save somebody. But Gabe was still in there, and so was the convergence machine. Maybe he would do it without Latias. He could try to get some help on the streets—but who would believe him? He didn't even—

"Ray!" Stanley called as he approached at a run. "I got the message from Latias!"

"Uh," Ray said. "What was it?"

"She just said you were in trouble. But I guess they got you out." Stanley turned to Latias. "I know you're . . . legendary and all, but I think you should go find a hospital. Or I can call for an ambulance."

Latias didn't respond.

"Ray, let's give them all the medicine we've got," Stanley said. "They work on top of each other, right?"

So they dug in their bags and produced a handful of small, spray-on medicines. Latias allowed Ray to spray the Latios's bullet wound; afterwards, the Latios's shaking calmed down, and Latias rested a little.

"I can't take you back," Latias said after a moment. "I know that's what you want."

"We have to destroy the machine they're using," Ray explained to Stanley. "Or else the world ends."

Stanley stared at Ray like he had told a terrible joke. "You're kidding, right?"

"No."

"Well, how are we gonna get back in there?"

Ray peered upwards. There weren't any windows near ground level, but they shined about a dozen floors up. "Use your Fearow," he said.

Stanley thought about it, then said, "Alright. But he can only hold, like, two people at once."

Once Stanley had departed on Tretters, his Fearow, Ray looked again at the three Pokémon before him. Latios and Latias were looking in better shape than before—Latias was begging Ray to stay, with her eyes—and the Gabite was sitting in the grass, depressed.

"Uh," Ray murmured to the Gabite, uncertain. "Want to come with me? I don't have any Pokémon with me."

The Gabite eyed him and nodded.

Glistening, jagged shards of glass fell to the ground over by the side of the building. Tretters returned, dislodging fragments from his body as he landed on the ground.

"He asks if you're ready," Latias translated.

* * *

><p>Everyone got off Tretters as soon as they entered through the broken window.<p>

"Okay, Tretters," Stanley said, letting his Pokémon take the lead in the hallway. "If anyone tries to stop us, blow them away!" They had to find an elevator and reach the underground part of the building before it was too late.

Nobody challenged them on the floor they broke into. When everyone filed into the elevator, Ray hit one of the lowermost buttons. As they descended, the Gabite stared at the glowing button, and then at Tretters. The two Pokémon exchanged a few looks, and then the Gabite glanced at Ray again before turning to watch the elevator door.

When the door opened, several guards immediately aimed guns at the intruders. Various dog Pokémon bared their teeth. But Tretters conjured up a whirlwind in the blink of an eye, knocking out humans and Pokémon alike. Brown wings with tan edges smacked Ray in the face a few times, but he didn't mind since they were protecting him.

He followed Stanley and Tretters out of the elevator, with the Gabite behind him. Groans sounded from every corner of the underground hallway—Ray guessed that Tretters was really strong for a Fearow.

"Which room is it?" Stanley asked.

"I can hear the machine thing from here," Ray said quietly. He led them to the right room, then pushed the heavy door open.

"Ray! Stanley!" Gabe cried. The Gabite walked over to him and cut him free. As he stood up and began to say something, Ray interrupted him.

"Don't worry about it, right? We can think about that later," he said sternly.

"I—okay," Gabe sniffed.

Everyone stared at the hulking machine towards the center of the laboratory room. It whirred menacingly, like a bomb disguised as a fan.

"How're we gonna stop it?" Stanley said. "This thing is gonna cause the end of the world?"

"Try the computer!" Gabe suggested.

But the terminal was password-protected. "It's locked up," Stanley said. "I think we have to just break that thing."

"But what if it blows up?" Gabe asked. "I overheard them talking about how much energy it has stored here."

Nobody moved. The shiny, angular machine seemed to challenge them with its louder and louder humming.

"We don't have a lot of time," Ray said. Even though he was disconnected from it, the machine would slowly get its job done anyway.

After a few tense minutes, the Gabite barked and pried open a panel that was barely distinguishable from the side of the machine. Inside were gently beeping, glowing knots of wires, and several yellow lightning bolt symbols.

"I think we can break it here," Ray said as soon as he saw the space behind the panel. But should one person do it while the others make a run for it? The Gabite could cut all the wires, probably. But Ray wanted to be the one to risk life and limb—he owed it to everyone else, who were only there because of him.

And while cutting the wires was the easiest way to stop it, it probably wouldn't trigger the explosion Latias needed. She wouldn't be able to go home.

_Forget about Latias_, Ray told himself. Getting her and Latios home could be solved later, but the convergence had to be stopped right now, or else everyone's lives would be ruined.

The machine's humming began resonating through the floor, and then the walls.

"Hurry!" Ray said, turning to the Gabite. "Can you cut those wires in there?"

Some of them were thicker than Ray's waist, but the Gabite—lying halfway inside the compartment—had no problem slicing them up. A distressed chorus of beeps sounded from inside the machine, while the computer deployed a barrage of error sounds.

After the Gabite crawled back out, the floor began to stop vibrating and half the beeps jumped to a higher pitch. Tretters anxiously backed away towards the door, squawking loudly.

"Uh," Gabe said, "I guess none of those wires was the power—"

"Let's go!" Stanley interrupted, raising his voice over the shrill beeps. Everyone fled into the hallway, with Tretters in the lead.

As they turned a corner, though, they stopped in their tracks. Pierre was waiting at the elevator, aiming his gun at them.

Stanley yelled, "The thing's gonna blow up! It's too late for you now!"

Pierre smirked, lowering his pistol slightly. "If it does, the huge release of energy will just finish the job. I'd say it's too late for _you_ now."

"We've gotta get outta here, though!" Stanley argued. "Either way the blast will probably kill us!"

Pierre said nothing. He reached behind him and pressed the elevator button, keeping the gun aimed down the hallway.

"Then you should probably stay down here," he said, stepping into the elevator. Ray took a step forward, but Tretters wouldn't let him pass.

Pierre gave a pompous wave with his hand as he escaped on the elevator.

"Now what are we gonna do?" Gabe cried, stabbing the elevator button desperately.

"Help me get this open," Ray said. He was trying to pry the two elevator doors apart.

Stanley moved to lend a hand, but the Gabite stepped up first and lent a fin, putting it between the doors and using it as leverage. Once they got the doors open, everyone stared into the shaft. Tretters immediately walked to the edge and turned around, lowering his head.

"I guess we'll try to fly as high as we can," Stanley said, climbing onto Tretters. "Someone else climb on already!" he urged.

The Gabite was the first to get a move on, stumbling forward and mounting Tretters right behind Stanley.

"I'll come back as fast as I can!" Stanley said, taking off. The wingbeats echoed deeply up and down the elevator shaft.

The silver elevator doors repeatedly tried to close, to no avail. Ray and Gabe were standing between them, waiting anxiously for either Stanley or the elevator to return.

"I'm really sorry," Gabe said, looking down at his feet.

Ray thought of something to say, to try and settle the matter like an award-winning movie character would. "It's not your fault," was all he could come up with.

"Yeah, it is," Gabe whimpered. "I should just stay down here, I'm so stupid."

The floor beneath them rumbled violently, as if to give its own opinion of the matter. Ray grabbed the side of the elevator door to keep his balance; Gabe slumped to the floor.

"People lied to us. You didn't know. It's not your fault," Ray repeated. "Hey, the elevator's coming."

It descended from above, inviting them inside with a ping. Stepping inside, Ray hit the button for the lobby, while Gabe stood motionless on the other side.

"You're only stupid if you _stay_ here," Ray insisted. Another tremor from below seemed to force his point.

Gabe shuffled inside, defeated, letting the doors close. As the elevator began to rise, he said, "Sorry."

Ray turned to Gabe, who was fully prepared to break down in tears. "Nothing is ever just your fault," he said, looking at Gabe even though his back was turned. "There are always other people with their parts in it, too. It's sort of my fault, too. But it's mostly—"

The elevator stopped between floors. The lights shut off. The ringing silence and complete darkness was almost unreal—Ray shuddered, wondering if it was the end.

"W-what now?" Gabe whimpered, just before the screech of ripping metal and rush of wind traveled up the shaft and consumed the elevator. A bright, glowing inferno enveloped Ray, but he felt no pain. Soon the light was too much to bear, and he closed his eyes. Something seemed to be pulling him—Ray was sure it was death. He fought as hard as he could, yelling and thrashing around even though nothing was left but his mind. Or was it his soul?

Either way, Ray rested, full of relief. Whatever had been pulling him had given up. Feeling safe, he slept as the blinding light faded to blackness.


	20. Moving On

"Hey, he's moving," someone whispered.

Ray opened his eyes, realizing with a groan that he was in the hospital again. It shocked and confused him when he found no burns on his body, or any other evidence that he had been in the elevator of an exploding building.

"You got out alive," Stanley said, trying to be cheerful. But something was wrong.

"I guess you did it after all," said a girl next to Stanley. She was about Stanley's age, with straight red hair and a kind face that radiated gentleness. Ray was positive that it was Latias in disguise.

Ray didn't respond. He frantically searched himself for something that was wrong—maybe a missing limb, or permanent scarring. But he was only bruised. "What's wrong?" he asked Stanley.

"Oh, nothing," Stanley said. "Nothing with you." His eyes darted away.

"Your friend's over there," said someone on the bed next to him. Ray turned and saw it was Latios, in human form. He pointed across the room. "He's in a . . . they call it a coma."

Ray noticed how alike the two Eon Pokémon looked, even as humans. They _were_ twins, after all. They were holding hands, and Ray's mind blanked for a while. Then he realized what Latios had said. "Is he gonna wake up?" Ray asked the question as if _yes, of course_ was the only answer that made sense.

"I don't know," Latios said. He looked well—and much kinder, too, now that everything was over and Latias was saved. "I can't reach his mind. All I know is, I felt something strange when the explosion happened. Something to do with the boundary between our worlds. I think the explosion put them close enough that we can travel between them now."

"That's good," Ray said. He decided that Gabe would definitely wake up soon. "You can go home, then." He thought about the events he could actually remember, then said, "How did you stop Pierre from getting us when you were cutting us free?"

Latios blinked, then said, "Sometimes it's necessary to take control of someone, no matter how terrible it is. All I did was keep him from doing anything."

"Well, I'm glad you did that. We all got out okay in the end." And at least Gabe was still alive.

"I accidentally released my hold on him when I reunited with Latias," Latios admitted. "I lost focus, and you need a ton of that to mess with other people's minds."

"It's alright," Ray said.

Soon Ray's doctor returned to catch him up on events. "Glad to see you awake, Ray and Tes," he said, holding a tray of six balls. "They found your Pokémon," he said to Ray, putting the tray on a table next to him. "The sixth one's your friend's over there. The Pokémon was found unconscious, but woke up quick."

Gabe's Growlithe. Ray gazed at the tray, saying, "What's gonna happen now?"

"They said you'll have to talk to some people about what happened. And reporters, too. But after that, you can go." He explained that the explosion wasn't that large at all, and Ray was only bruised because the elevator had fallen a floor and a half before the emergency brakes activated. Ray actually didn't remember a thing, except that Gabe had been there with him.

"And we have your number," the doctor added. He looked at Gabe over his shoulder. "We'll call when he wakes up."

"Thanks," Ray said. He felt guilty just leaving Gabe there, but there wasn't anything he could do.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, Ray and Stanley were standing in an empty area of one of Mistralton's grassy parks. Latios and Latias were there too, in human form, playing with Ray's Pokémon. And Tretters was napping next to Stanley. The Horizon building was just visible in the distance, shiny and standing like nothing had happened. The only evidence something had happened there at all was a thin trail of smoke that wound its way up the building and faded into the sky.<p>

"So how were the reporters?" Stanley asked as they watched Latias toss Archie in the air. Archie flapped his feathered arms frantically as he fell back down into her arms.

"They all felt sorry for me," Ray said. "It was kind embarrassing." He rolled the Growlithe's ball in his hands, then let the Pokémon out. As the Growlithe mingled cheerfully with the other Pokémon, Latias approached Ray and Stanley—with the Gabite right behind her.

Latias rolled an Ultra grade ball in her hands, saying, "The Gabite says he's sorry for not telling you about his ball earlier. He says if he had been in the ball, Stanley could have carried him and saved Gabe, too."

"It doesn't matter now," Stanley said. "We messed with parallel worlds, but we're not screwing with time travel yet. And besides, Gabe's still alive."

Latias sat down next to the Gabite. "And Ray, he says he thinks you and he used to be the same person."

"I think so too," Ray said after a moment, gazing intently at the Gabite. "I had this weird feeling it was something like that. That's what happened in Nimbasa, I bet."

The Gabite soon turned away and joined the other Pokémon in the park. He was quickly befriending Felsin, for whatever reason. The two of them watched as Archie jumped from a tree and landed on Dax's head. Dax grunted, then continued napping.

"So is this it?" Stanley asked.

"I don't know," Ray said. A Purrloin ran past him and up the nearby tree, perching way out of reach.

"Get back here!" Kristy called out. She peered up at the Purrloin in the tree, then turned to Ray and Stanley—she saw their Pokémon hanging around, and smiled.

"Hey guys!" Kristy said. "I heard on the news! Is everything all right?"

"Yeah, we're fine," Ray said as he and Stanley walked over. He looked up at the Purrloin. "Is that yours?"

"Yeah," Kristy said, a little embarrassed. "She's kinda like . . . not listening, right now." She took her big bag off her shoulder. "Can you hold this for me?"

"Uh, sure," Ray said, taking the bag. Kristy stretched her arms a couple times, then jumped up and climbed the tree.

Stanley raised his eyebrows. "I always hated climbing trees."

"So where are you going now?" Ray asked. He hoped Stanley would stay. He was pretty much Ray's friend now, after all they'd been through.

"I guess I don't have anywhere else to go," Stanley shrugged. "Why, want me to come with you?"

"Yeah."

"Have you gone to the Gym here yet?" Kristy called from above. "The flying-type one?"

"No," Ray said.

"I haven't either. We should go over there right now!"

Ray thought it was a good idea. He looked at Latios, who knew what he was thinking.

"Yeah, it's time for us to go, too," he said.

"Thanks for helping me," Latias said, walking forward and hugging Ray tightly. "And you too," she continued, moving to hug Stanley.

"Aw, it was nothing," Stanley blushed.

Latios, Latias, and the Gabite waved, and disappeared from view. And that was the end of it.

"You know that rich guy got arrested?" Kristy asked. "The guy who was behind all this?"

"Pierre?" Ray said.

"Yeah, him," Kristy said, snapping her fingers. "People from overseas, teamed up with the police here, arrested him."

"Oh," Ray murmured. "Well, that's good." Hopefully it was the end of convergence and Horizon.

"So where's Gabe?" Kristy asked, breaking the silence that had formed.

"It's a long story," Ray said.

"Well, who were those people? And the Gabite?"

"That's an even longer story!" Stanley said.

Kristy dropped from the tree with her Purrloin in her arms. "Well, you can talk about it on the way to the Gym, can't you?" She began walking, and Ray and Stanley followed. Ray appreciated that she was trying to get a move on.

"Well, those two were Latios and Latias," Ray said as they made their way to the park gate.

"Wait, really?" Kristy said, slowing down so they could walk side by side.

"Yeah, and they're from another world, where there aren't any humans."

The look on Kristy's face was priceless. Ray wished he could have taken a picture of it.

Kristy shoved Ray playfully. "You're kidding, right?" she insisted.

"I told you it was a long story," Stanley said, rolling his eyes.

They made their way into the city. Ray put everything behind him and hoped for the best.


	21. Guardians

"I'm so glad this is all over," Tesoros said as he stared into the lake. The water stood still, clear and reflectionless. "All's well that ends well?"

"Well, sorta," Lysander said, dipping his feet into the water. Ice cold. "I kinda wanted to stay over there."

Tesoros hovered closer, peering at Lysander. "Well, you're not him anymore. You should go your separate ways. You know, start anew."

Lysander didn't say anything. Latias floated out over the water, dipped in, and relaxed. "I hope that boy recovers from that coma," she said. "We got him dragged into this whole mess."

Lysander didn't really think that was true, but he kept quiet.

Tesoros joined his mate, descending into the chilly water. "Thanks for helping us, by the way," he said. "I'll be grateful for that for a very long time."

"As long as you live," Latias prompted.

"As long as I live, yeah," Tesoros added. "You know, I—who's there?"

"Hello? Anyone there?" called someone coming out of the nearby woods.

"I know that voice," Tesoros said immediately, his ears perking up. "Well, that mind."

A Growlithe stumbled out from the bushes, looking around nervously. Seeing Lysander and the Eons sitting on the shore nearby, he dashed over, splashing water as he went.

"Hey, you're here, too!" the Growlithe exclaimed, panting a little. "Where are we?" he asked, relieved to not be alone.

The Eons exchanged looks, and then Tesoros said carefully, "Do you remember what happened yesterday?"

The Growlithe quickly answered no. "I just know you three," he offered. "From seeing you."

Latias looked right at Tesoros. It was obvious that they were using telepathy.

"Well, we don't know where you came from, either," Tesoros lied. "But Lysander here was going to head to the town. You should go with him."

"Okay," the Growlithe said. "I mean, it's not like I have anything else to do . . ."

As the Growlithe drank from the lake, Tesoros contacted Lysander telepathically, saying, "Sorry to set you up like that, but we need some time alone."

"Oh, it's alright," Lysander said mentally. "But I know where he's from."

"We do, too," Latias chimed in, also telepathically. "I think it's better for him if he just starts anew here. I mean, we don't know how to fix the coma or anything like that—"

"It's alright," Lysander repeated.

"We'll come by soon," Tesoros said aloud, disappearing with Latias beneath the lake's surface. The two of them flew through the water like it was air, their distorted shapes mingling and embracing each other.

Lysander turned around, leading the Growlithe away from the lake and across the small plain, toward home.

"So what's your name?" Lysander asked after a while. He couldn't remember it, even though he knew he should.

"I . . . I don't even know," the Growlithe said. He sighed. "I'm confused."

"Well, we should start with your name, right?" Lysander said.

"I have no idea what to call myself," the Growlithe murmured. "It'll just sound stupid."

"Well, we still have a while to go," Lysander said, peering at the horizon. "So let's think of some names."

* * *

><p>"I didn't really have the chance last time," Flayer said to the twenty or so people standing in a wide circle around him, "but I'd like to introduce three new people to the little settlement that we have here." He stood at the bottom of Horizon Hill—the hill on which their headquarters stood—and started off the town meeting.<p>

"Okay. So," Flayer continued, "Our two newest friends are both Growlithes. Twins. Anybody see them?"

After some murmuring, the twins tumbled out into the center.

"Welcome, guys," Flayer asked, smiling warmly, going down on all fours so that he wouldn't tower over the twins.

"I'm Slater!" the younger one said.

"Evan," said the other. "I'm Evan."

"Good luck telling them apart," Hal chuckled, emerging from the circle to stand at Flayer's side.

"And the third person's been here for a couple days," Flayer went on, "but didn't make the last meeting. Is Lysander here?"

Lysander made his way past people to the inside of the circle. Slater and Evan went and sat next to him.

"Hi everyone," Lysander said nervously, looking at the ground.

"He's already at home here," Flayer said, "so this is just an official thing." He smiled at the three newcomers. "Welcome to Asunder, guys. Now our population totals . . . twenty-six? Something like that. We're a small town, and still building, but there's nowhere to go but up."

"We've changed some of the Rulebook," Hal added. "You newcomers should go look over it." He pointed up the hill. "Everything's up there, at the headquarters."

"So I guess that's it for the town meeting," Flayer said. "Oh, and I think Pierce's house is repaired. And the fireproofing on Leslie's house is done. But besides that—"

"Look who's up there," Hal murmured, squinting up at the reddening sky.

The gathered townsfolk watched and chattered in anticipation as Tesoros and Latias flew in from the north and descended into the circle, which was getting a bit crowded.

"Well, hello there," Flayer said, bowing his head slightly, "Welcome." He looked at Latias. "Glad to see you've been reunited."

"Thanks," Tesoros said. The people around him were silent and awed as he talked. "I just came to say a couple things."

"Um. Go ahead."

"First of all, I want to say sorry again for what happened—"

"Don't worry about it," Flayer insisted. "Everyone's forgiven you a hundred times already."

"Yeah!" called Pierce from somewhere.

Tesoros smiled. "And second, I want to ask you something."

"Well, go on," Flayer said.

"I, Latios, would like to become the lifelong guardian of the town Asunder."

"As would I, Latias."

Flayer and Hal looked at each other, just as surprised as everyone else was.

"We ask because us Eons are destined to become the guardians of something important to them."

"It's like a rite of passage," Latias added.

"Our parents were guardians of the lake to the north," Tesoros continued. "But the lake doesn't speak to me like it did to my father and mother. I want to guard this town, and these people, because . . . well . . . I don't want to be lonely, out there, in the wilderness."

Flayer and Hal whispered to each other, as others began awwing and sighing. Once it quieted down, Flayer said, "We would be honored."

The twenty-six or so people gathered around began clapping, howling, or showing their excitement some other way. Everyone seemed to agree that it honored the entire town, made it special.

Over the noise, Tesoros said, "So I guess I'll answer any . . . questions anyone has about us?"

Everyone quieted again, almost immediately, as everyone thought up questions to ask.

"What do guardians do?" someone in front asked.

"We don't really know," Tesoros said. "I guess they just keep everyone safe. My father used to take care of the lake's water, I think."

"Can you read minds?" said someone else.

"Well, yeah—but so can a lot of psychic people. We're not the only ones."

"I heard that Latis can turn invisible and shapeshift. Is that true?"

"Yeah, it is," Tesoros said shyly. "But shapeshifting is exhausting, depending on what you turn into."

Hal interrupted the interview, saying, "Alright, fellas. If you have any questions for the new Asunderan guardians, then you can stick around. But this town meeting is officially over."

Some people left, but most were excited to talk to the two living legends. The ring of people thinned and closed in on the Eons, who both looked incredibly shy and modest around everyone. Pierce's puppies barked and walked in circles beneath the Eons, mystified by the levitation.

Lysander found Trace standing a few feet away from the crowd. "Hey, Trace," he said. "I'm alive."

"That's good," Trace said. Then he laughed. "You totally changed up this town, you know."

Indirectly, maybe he had. "Well, I'm glad to be here," Lysander said. "Who's the other Growlithe?"

"The _other_ one? What do you mean?"

"I found Evan over by the lake. He doesn't remember anything."

"Really?" Trace said, surprised. "I found Slater on my way back from the sea. I guess they really _are_ twins."

"Yeah," Lysander said. "Maybe."

"You know, they probably came the same way you did," Trace noted. "I wouldn't be surprised if they're from your world."

"Maybe."

"Anyways, remember what I said earlier? You gotta tell me _everything_ that happened over there."

"Oh, all right. But it's all complicated."

"Well, we've got all night."

"Okay, so after Lugia helped us get over there, the Latios disguised himself as a _human _. . ._"_

They sat down on the ground, and Lysander explained until the sun disappeared and nearly everyone went home.

"Well, was that Armaldo cool?" Trace asked curiously. "You know, like . . . like me or something?"

"Yeah, he was nice," Lysander said. "He says having a human is fun stuff." He looked ahead at Flayer, who was talking to Tesoros alone. Latias was asleep. "He says his was really good."

"Wait, explain the training thing again," Trace said. "What was the thing about catching?"

"Well, they get the—"

"Hey Lysander!" greeted Slater suddenly. "Can we live at your house? Since you, like, know Evan, and I know Trace, and you both live in the same place? Ha, that rhymed."

"Well, you have to ask Trace," Lysander said. "It's his house—"

"Yeah, of course they can," said Trace. "It's not like they take up much space. . . Then again, I haven't seen them eat." He chuckled.

"We should go sleep now, then," Lysander said after letting out a long yawn. "I just realized that I'm exhausted."

"Okay, but where's Evan?" Trace asked.

Slater grinned, then said, "He's over there."

Evan was passed out, sleeping right next to Latias. As Lysander approached, Tesoros looked at him cheerfully—happy, but also quite tired.

"Hello again, Lysander," Flayer greeted. "Latios here's been telling me about your journey to the other world. Sounds crazy."

"It was," Lysander said. He hoped Tesoros had explained enough, because he definitely wasn't going to go over all _that _again.

"Well, I'm gonna crash," Flayer sighed. "Good night, everyone." He nodded at Tesoros, before sauntering off into the night.

Tesoros hovered over, peering at Evan. "He's the sensible one, sleeping at this hour," he said. He turned to Trace, Lysander, and Slater. "Aren't you all tired?"

"Yeah," Trace said. "We're just coming to get Evan."

"Well, good night. This should be the end of all that. . . otherworldly mess."

"Yeah, I hope so," Lysander sighed.

"If . . . you ever . . . want to see us," Latias said drowsily, "just go to the lake. We live there."

"Farewell!" Tesoros said. He led Latias back to their home.

As the Eons flew off, shining in the moonlight, Lysander carried Evan in his arms and headed for home.

* * *

><p><strong>The End<strong>

* * *

><p>"What'll I do <em>now?<em>" Lysander yawned.

"Well, you just rescued a _Latias_," Trace said, whispering so he didn't wake anybody.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm just saying it looks like you're pretty good at rescuing," Trace said with a grin. "I think we should start a . . ."


End file.
